Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS)

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Issue
Internationally manufactured cars that do not meet Canadian specifications may be imported to Canada legally once they are more than 15 years old, and do not have to comply with our safety standards. Many governing bodies are questioning whether safety is being compromised as these vehicles are excluded from having to comply with the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS). As a result, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators requested that Transport Canada review the 15-year exclusion rule in respect to preserving safety on the roadways.

Background
In order to regulate and promote the safety of travelling public, Parliament enacted the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (MVSA) in 1971. The purpose of the MVSA is to regulate the manufacture and …show more content…

Since 2000, the volume of vehicles over 15 years old imported into Canada has increased significantly to annual levels of nearly 20,000 vehicles.

Inability to Test Safety
The Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards address three major aspects in vehicle safety: crash worthiness, crash avoidance and occupant protection; each aspect involves structural-based standards. These standards cannot be met by simply installing different parts; they must be engineered at the design stage and manufactured into the vehicle at the time of assembly.

Environmental Concerns
Additionally, the efficiency of older motor vehicles is major consideration as well; the environmental-impact of engines will vary and have been improved drastically over the past decade. A small engine in imports that are a minimum of 15 years old may emit the same quantity of pollutants as larger modern-day engines.

Normative

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