The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed changes to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, the rule that covers vehicle lamps and signals, so that automated vehicles with no steering wheel or pedals can comply with it. The proposal went on public inspection on 23 October, is due to be published on 26 October, and is open for comment until 25 November.
The current standard assumes a human driver, for example turn signals that cancel themselves and beam switches worked by hand or foot. NHTSA would limit those requirements to vehicles that have manual driving controls. Driverless vehicles would still need turn signals, hazard warnings and a way to switch headlamp beams, but these could be operated by the automated driving system.
The proposal would also allow, but not require, steady-burning cyan “ADS marker lamps”, visible from the front, sides and rear, to show that the vehicle is driving itself. NHTSA says it “is not proposing to mandate ADS marker lamps”. It also discusses whether the rule would pre-empt California’s own marker lamp provisions.
Why it matters: purpose-built robotaxis without manual controls need federal safety rules written for them, and lighting is one of the standards that still assumes a person at the wheel. Read the notice in the Federal Register.