NHTSA Promises New Headlight Tech and Fewer Causes of Glare
Headlight rules are one of the regulations that make a vehicle sold in the United States different from one sold in Europe or Japan. NHTSA's Jonathan Morrison says today's standards do not allow automakers to deploy the latest safety-improving lighting technologies, so the agency is bringing key experts and stakeholders together to modernize the standards and address potential causes of glare.
Glare is the interesting half of that promise. Lighting that helps one driver see is usually lighting that can dazzle somebody else, and writing the second constraint into a rule is harder than approving the first. Morrison's framing commits the agency to both at once.
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The administration's own pitch is a three-part one: bolster driver safety, slash red tape, and embrace new technologies, followed by a negotiated rulemaking process to rewrite the regulations to suit 2026.
There is a cost to that negotiation. Ars Technica describes the FMVSS amendment process as lengthy and laborious, and identifies it as a major reason automotive lighting technology has lagged in the US. Speed is part of the complaint being answered.
The same outlet lands in the middle: it is fair to be skeptical of a government effort to streamline bureaucracy, and also fair to say these particular regulations could use an update.