NHTSA to Rewrite Federal Lighting Standard FMVSS 108
NHTSA has opened a negotiated rulemaking to modernize FMVSS 108, aiming to clear the way for adaptive headlights and tighten glare limits.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced it will begin a negotiated rulemaking process to rewrite FMVSS 108, the federal standard that governs automotive lighting, according to digitaltoday.co.kr. The process is intended to remove regulatory lag that has blocked modern safety lighting technology from reaching the US market.
The rewrite is expected to account for technologies including LEDs, ambient light sensors, automatic high beams and replaceable light sources. NHTSA also plans to strengthen glare-suppression requirements as it modernizes the standard, and the revision may harmonize US lighting rules with global standards and adjust test procedures for lenses and optical components.
Regulatory delays around FMVSS 108 are longstanding. In 2013, NHTSA said it would start a rulemaking process in response to a Toyota petition, but it took another five years for a proposed rule to appear.
In 2022, a final rule allowed vehicles with active matrix-beam LED headlights to be sold in the US, though some features remained limited compared to European versions. Audi's large SUVs were cited as an example of US-market lighting with restricted functionality compared to European models.
Quick answers
What is NHTSA rewriting?
NHTSA is starting a negotiated rulemaking process to rewrite FMVSS 108, the federal automotive lighting standard.
What technologies could the revision cover?
The process will reflect technologies such as LEDs, ambient light sensors, automatic high beams and replaceable light sources, along with stronger glare-suppression requirements.
Why did this rulemaking take so long?
In 2013, NHTSA said it would start a rulemaking process in response to a Toyota petition, but it took another five years for a proposed rule to appear.