The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed updates to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108. The agency suggests using cyan-colored marker lamps to indicate when an automated driving system is in control. This color was chosen to avoid confusion with existing red, amber, white, and emergency vehicle lighting.
Under the proposal, these cyan lights would be optional for manufacturers. However, the agency aims to establish uniform standards for brightness, color, and placement to ensure consistency across the industry. Companies such as Waymo, Nuro, Zoox, GM, and Mercedes-Benz would be able to adopt these standardized signals.
The NHTSA also plans to remove outdated requirements for vehicles lacking human drivers, such as manual hazard switches, beam shifters, and turn levers. Additionally, the agency intends to update the 12.8-volt testing standard to better accommodate modern LED architectures and may eliminate rules regarding the positioning of high-beam and low-beam lights.
These changes are part of a broader Department of Transportation effort to simplify the deployment of autonomous vehicles. The goal is to facilitate the production of cars without traditional human-operated controls like steering wheels and pedals. Regulators continue to enforce current rules while these updates are under consideration.
Last month, the NHTSA initiated an audit of the Tesla Cybercab. The investigation focuses on the technical data and certification processes used by Tesla, specifically regarding the absence of sideview mirrors, pedals, and steering wheels, which are currently mandated by federal safety standards.
