NHTSA Proposes Lighting Rules for Driverless Vehicles
The federal safety agency seeks comment on modernized turn signal, headlamp and marker lamp requirements for vehicles without manual driving controls.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Trucks
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published a proposal the week before November 2, 2026, to modernize lighting requirements for vehicles operated only by automated driving systems. The proposal amends Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 and accepts public comments through November 26.
Why it matters
NHTSA said the changes address regulatory burdens and costs for equipment that provides no safety benefit on vehicles without manual driving controls. The rules would affect how automated vehicles are equipped across the United States.
The proposal modernizes the 12.8-volt test requirement for integral beam headlamps and opens a comment period closing November 26. As of November 2, about 30 comments had been filed, with several raising concerns about LED headlight brightness and glare.
The players
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
The federal agency responsible for vehicle safety standards in the United States, which issued the proposal to amend Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108.
The details
The proposal covers manual turn signal, hazard warning and beam-switching controls for ADS-only vehicles, and sets specifications for optional cyan ADS marker lamps, including mounting, activation and visibility. It also removes requirements dictating the vertical ordering of lower and upper headlamp beams.
Timeline
The notice of proposed rulemaking was published the week before November 2, 2026.
Public comments on the proposal close November 26, 2026.
Roadmap
The proposal amends Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, the decades-old lighting standard, to accommodate vehicles that no longer have manual driving controls. It reflects a broader industry shift toward automated driving systems that requires federal equipment rules to be rewritten around vehicles built without human operators.
If finalized, the rules would let automated-only vehicles skip manual turn signal and hazard controls, and manufacturers could add ADS marker lamps without being required to. Drivers sharing the road with these vehicles would see new lighting signals rather than the conventional equipment they use today.
The takeaway
Federal lighting rules are being rewritten around vehicles without human drivers, so the comment period through November 26 is the public's window to weigh in on headlight glare and marker-lamp design.
What happens next
Public comments on the proposal close November 26, 2026, after which NHTSA will review the submissions.
Further reading
Explore more Trucks coverage for context on how federal rules shape commercial vehicles.
More information
Submit or review comments on the proposal through the Regulations.gov docket NHTSA-2026-1519.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Land Line Media.
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