AMY BROWN CAR SEAT COVERS

Plug-In Electric Vehicle.

Coronado, California.

NHTSA Ruling Clears the Way for GEM Vehicle Street Use

The GEM Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) is included in a classification of federally approved "low-speed vehicles" which can be driven on community streets posted at 35 mph or less* if they meet certain safety criteria, according to a ruling announced in June, 1998 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The ruling affects NEVs and other electric vehicles that have top speeds of 20 to 25 miles an hour. (GEM cars travel at speeds up to 25 mph.)

Under the rule, electric vehicles, including thousands of golf carts now used for transportation in retirement communities and on golf courses, are required to have seat belts, headlights, windshield wipers and other safety devices before they can be used for street travel.

GEM cars, however, already come with anchored three-point safety belts, headlamps and windshield wipers as standard equipment. The GEM car's other standard safety features include four-wheel hydraulic brakes, rack-and-pinion steering, automotive safety glass, front-wheel drive, taillights, front and rear turn signals and stop lamps.

GEM cars are the first multi-purpose NEV automotive engineered for both street and turf use. The NHTSA ruling was intended to set up safety criteria for low-speed vehicles (LSVs) and provide individual states with the uniform regulatory guidelines. The ruling does not alter the ability of states and local governments to decide for themselves whether to permit on-road use of LSVs.

Side curtain airbags are optional. Antilock brakes with traction control are standard on the R/T and optional on the SXT. The Dodge Stratus earned five stars (out of five) ratings in frontal-impact crash tests conducted by the NHTSA and an "Acceptable" rating (second-highest) in IIHS frontal-offset testing.