Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Modernization of FMVSS No. 108 To Accommodate ADS-Equipped Vehicles

DEEPER READ

This proposed rule from NHTSA targets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, the federal regulation governing lamps, reflective devices, and related vehicle equipment. Two initial changes are technical in nature: adjusting the test voltage specification for integral beam headlamps and eliminating requirements specific to vertical headlamp arrangements, which are considered outdated or redundant with current safety performance. The more significant proposed changes focus on vehicles equipped with Automated Driving Systems that have no manually operated driving controls, meaning no steering wheel, pedals, or similar equipment for a human operator. For these vehicles, NHTSA proposes that certain requirements for manually operated turn signals, hazard warning signals, and beam-switching controls would no longer apply, since those controls serve no functional purpose when no human driver is present. The agency argues that requiring such equipment in fully automated vehicles creates unnecessary regulatory cost without providing safety benefit. The proposal also narrows requirements for telltales, which are indicator lights that alert a driver to the status of vehicle systems, limiting some of those requirements to vehicles that actually have a human operator. The word 'telltale' would also be formally incorporated and standardized throughout the text of the standard for consistency. A new addition to the standard would permit optional cyan-colored marker lamps on ADS-equipped vehicles. Cyan is not currently an approved color for vehicle lighting under FMVSS No. 108. This addition is intended to give ADS vehicles a visual identifier that could help other road users and emergency responders recognize them as autonomously operated. The affected parties include vehicle manufacturers developing or producing ADS-equipped vehicles, suppliers of lighting and signaling equipment, and potentially consumers and road users who interact with autonomous vehicles. As a proposed rule, it is open for public comment before any final rule is issued, and no implementation timeline is specified in the available record.

AS PUBLISHED

NHTSA is proposing to amend Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108, "Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." The proposed updates to the standard are intended to remove unnecessary requirements and to provide design flexibility without impact on vehicle safety. The first two proposed changes would amend the test voltage specification for integral beam type headlamps and remove requirements that apply to vertical headlamp arrangements. Further proposed changes address vehicles equipped with Automated Driving Systems (ADS) that do not have manually operated driving controls. Those modifications would limit the application of certain requirements for manually operated turn signal, hazard warning signal, and beam switching controls to vehicles with manually operated driving controls. The changes are intended to address regulatory burdens and costs associated with equipment that does not fulfill the same purpose or provide safety benefits in an ADS-equipped vehicle without manually operated driving controls as in a vehicle with such controls. The changes would also narrow certain requirements for telltales to vehicles with manually operated driving controls and incorporate the term "telltale" where appropriate throughout the standard. Finally, a proposed addition to the standard would allow cyan-colored ADS marker lamps as optional motor vehicle lighting equipment in ADS-equipped vehicles.

THE SAGE'S PERSPECTIVE