- A proposed regulation would require automakers to install cyan-colored lights in cars with automated driving systems to alert police when the systems are engaged.
- The move isn’t law yet, but does not appear likely to encounter much opposition.
The automotive industry is moving gradually toward self-driving cars. That poses a problem for police – how are they to tell the difference between a distracted driver and a driver who’s allowed to be distracted because the car is driving itself?
The federal government’s primary car safety agency has proposed a solution – cyan-colored exterior lights that turn on when an automated driving system is engaged.
There Aren’t Quite Self-Driving Cars Yet
- Automakers are making steady progress toward self-driving cars, but systems on the road today still require human supervision.
Many automakers today sell partial self-driving systems that require human supervision. Virtually all of them are working on systems that won’t.
The auto industry uses a 5-level system to describe its efforts toward self-driving cars. Many new cars today are at level two – they can accelerate, brake, and steer themselves under certain conditions, but require a human to pay attention and be ready to take over at all times. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) and GM’s Super Cruise are level two systems.
Related – Self-Driving Cars: Everything You Need to Know
Just one automaker sells a level three system in the U.S. – one that lets the driver safely look away. The Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot system is legal only in Nevada and parts of California. It’s found only on the high-end S-Class sedan and EQS electric sedan.
The Auto Industry Is Already Onboard
- Mercedes proposed the lighting idea back in 2023, and it’s already caught on globally.
Mercedes first proposed blue-green exterior lighting for self-driving cars in 2023.
Much of the auto industry has signed on.
SAE, formerly known as the Society of Automotive Engineers, develops standards that the automotive industry agrees to follow, although they don’t have the force of law.
Even overseas automakers have adopted the practice – at the recent Paris Motor Show, several Chinese automakers displayed cars showing cyan exterior lights when their automation systems were engaged.
The group endorsed the Mercedes proposal early this year.
A Few More Steps Will Make it Law
- The move is just a proposal now, but it is likely to be adopted quickly.
This week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published a proposed regulation requiring the lights.
Congress writes laws. Then, federal agencies like NHTSA issue regulations explaining how the government will enforce and interpret laws. Courts enforce regulations as if they were law.
When an agency wants to update a regulation, it publishes proposed text and then accepts public comments on the proposal. It can ignore or respond to comments, but often, it takes into account comments from industries that would be impacted. It then makes any changes it deems fit after public comment and publishes a final rule, which takes effect.
Since the auto industry is already behind this proposal, it’s unlikely to encounter much opposition. The agency did not say when to expect a final rule.
