US to Allow New High Tech Headlights on New Vehicles

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a final rule today allowing automakers to install adaptive driving beam headlights on new vehicles. This satisfies a requirement in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law more than a year and a half ahead of schedule.

This final rule will improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists by making them more visible at night, and will help prevent crashes by better illuminating animals and objects in and along the road.

“NHTSA prioritizes the safety of everyone on our nation’s roads, whether they are inside or outside a vehicle. New technologies can help advance that mission,” said Dr. Steven Cliff, NHTSA’s Deputy Administrator. “NHTSA is issuing this final rule to help improve safety and protect vulnerable road users.”

Adaptive driving beam headlight systems, or ADB, use automatic headlight beam switching technology to shine less light on occupied areas of the road and more light on unoccupied areas. The adaptive beam is particularly useful for distance illumination of pedestrians, animals, and objects without reducing the visibility of drivers in other vehicles.

The final rule amends Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, “Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment.” The amendments adopted today are intended to allow manufacturers to offer this technology and establish performance requirements for these systems to ensure that they operate safely.