The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced plans to revise federal vehicle lighting standards. The initiative aims to address concerns regarding excessive headlight glare while removing regulatory barriers for advanced safety lighting technologies.
The upcoming revisions will cover regulations for LED headlights, light sensors, automatic high beams, and replaceable light sources. NHTSA will also re-evaluate installation heights and beam directions to determine their impact on driver visibility and glare, as current federal standards for brightness have remained unchanged since 1997.
Data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety indicates that headlight glare is a factor in only 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 nighttime accidents in 11 US states between 2015 and 2023. Older drivers, particularly those over 70, are reported to be the most affected by glare.
To facilitate the update, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will appoint up to 18 representatives from lighting manufacturers, industry associations, safety organizations, and research institutions. This group will utilize a negotiated rulemaking process to modernize the standards.
