AUTONEWS

Automotive regulator NHTSA approves use of adaptive beam headlights

Nearly a decade after Toyota Motor applied for approval, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said automakers could start using adaptive beam headlights on new vehicles.

The rule amends Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Rule No. 108, which governs lights, reflectors, and "associated equipment." The final decision came after years of prodding from automakers and safety advocates, especially as they have been used in Europe and Japan for years.

The agency had to implement the rule as part of the massive infrastructure bill requirement that the Biden administration pushed to pass. The new rule is being implemented more than a year ahead of the required term.

“NHTSA prioritizes the safety of everyone on our country's roads, whether in or out of a vehicle. New technologies can help advance this mission,” said Steven Cliff, deputy administrator at NHTSA, in a statement. "NHTSA is issuing this final rule to help improve safety and protect vulnerable road users."

Why are they useful?...Adaptive headlight systems, or ADB, use automatic headlight switching technology to illuminate less busy areas of the road and more light in unoccupied areas, the NHTSA noted. The adaptive beam is particularly useful for distant lighting of pedestrians, animals and objects without reducing the visibility of drivers in other vehicles.

Safety organizations have emphasized the importance of improving headlights, not just their brightness, but their overall capability. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety began testing the effectiveness of lighthouses in 2016. The organization supports the new lighthouse rule.

“The Institute welcomes the creation of rules that would allow for more advanced lighthouses,” Matthew Brumbelow, a senior research engineer at IIHS, said in 2018 of nuisance glare.”

In recent years, the increasing number of collisions during the night has been a major theme for safety advocates who support the adoption of adaptive headlights.

“It's a big deal as it marks the first important step towards enabling advanced lighting that can be incredibly effective in reducing accidents,” Michael Brooks, director of operations and interim executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, told the Detroit Free Press.

“About half of accidents occur at night and only about a quarter of our miles are driven at night, so we are seeing a lot of nighttime accidents in the US, a portion of which would certainly be avoided or mitigated by better visibility.”

While awaiting a decision on whether to use the lights, several automakers have installed the lights on vehicles but deactivated them in the US with plans to use upgrades only after they are approved.

General Motors already offers the technology in its Cadillac XT6 luxury crossover. In addition, most Audi vehicles already have them installed. Mercedes, Porsche, Volkswagen, Ford, Lincoln, Subaru Hyundai, Genesis, Honda and of course Toyota all have vehicles equipped with lights waiting to be “activated”.

No word on if, when or how all of these automakers will make the conversion. TheDetroitBureau.com has contacted several automakers, but none have responded at the time this story was published.

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