Automotive Policy News

NHTSA Launches Negotiated Rulemaking to Overhaul US Headlight Standards

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated a negotiated rulemaking process to rewrite Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, which governs vehicle lighting. The primary goals are to modernize regulations to accommodate advanced technologies like adaptive LEDs and to address rising complaints about headlight glare. This marks the first use of a negotiated rulemaking process for this standard in over 25 years, involving up to 18 stakeholders appointed by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The current rules, largely unchanged since 1997, have lagged behind global standards, hindering the adoption of safety-improving lighting technologies in the US.