Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation; Application for an Exemption From Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI)
Notice of application for exemption; request for comments.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requests public comment on an application for exemption from VTTI to allow the placement of camera-based data acquisition systems (DAS) at the bottom of windshields on commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) currently require antennas, transponders, and similar devices to be located not more than 6 inches below the upper edge of the windshield, outside the area swept by the windshield wipers, and outside the driver's sight lines to the road and highway signs and signals. VTTI is coordinating device development and installation of the DASs for a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) research program in up to 150 CMVs. The exemption would enable VTTI and NHTSA to conduct research on the reliability of collision avoidance systems for CMVs. VTTI believes that mounting the DASs at the bottom of the windshield would maintain a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety achieved without the exemption.