NHTSA Proposes New Tire Safety Standards and Autonomous Vehicle Lighting Rules

On October 27, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a new tire safety proposal through the negotiated rulemaking process. The agency aims to update currently outdated testing methods for tire strength and durability while also examining how to establish safety standards for emerging technologies.

According to NHTSA’s announcement, this would be the first major revision of tire safety standards in more than 20 years. To develop the proposed rule, Sean Duffy, Secretary of the Department of Transportation, will appoint 18 experts and stakeholders to advise him. The committee’s preliminary membership list includes representatives of tire manufacturers and retailers, national motor vehicle safety organizations, educational groups, research and testing organizations, and professional engineering and standards-setting associations.

According to information shared by Transport Topics, the proposal will focus on the continued need for and effectiveness of the tire strength test (plunger energy), the bead unseating resistance test, and the tire endurance test (chunking). The committee will also evaluate the use of non-pneumatic tires and the modernization of tire markings.

Kevin Grove, director of safety and technology at the American Trucking Associations, and Robert Braswell, executive director, noted that it is still too early in the rulemaking process to determine many of the specifics regarding how tire safety standards will affect commercial trucking. However, the updates are likely to simplify the regulations and make them more relevant to modern vehicles.

The rulemaking process could take several years, allowing stakeholders to present their concerns regarding commercial truck tire safety to the committee. Under the proposed rulemaking framework, committee members will serve a two-year term or remain in their positions until the activities are completed, whichever comes first.

NHTSA Proposes Lighting Standards for Autonomous Vehicles

In addition to tire safety, NHTSA is proposing updates to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, which governs lighting and reflective devices, to accommodate autonomous vehicles. The initiative includes the introduction of a standardized cyan-colored light signal to indicate when an automated driving system is in control of a vehicle.

These optional lights would consist of four to eight signals visible from the front, sides, and rear of the vehicle, with the aim of informing law enforcement and other road users that the vehicle is being controlled by an autonomous system. The proposal seeks to modernize existing regulations in response to the growing development of autonomous road transportation.

According to NHTSA’s notice, the updates will include the following:

• Flexibility for vehicles equipped with ADS: Modernizes manual control requirements for turn signals, hazard warning lights, and headlamp beam switching in vehicles operated exclusively by an automated driving system (ADS).
• Standardized ADS marker lamps: Establishes equipment specifications, including color (cyan), mounting locations, activation, and visibility requirements, for optional ADS marker lamps. These lamps are intended to provide a clear and consistent indication to law enforcement and other road users when an automated driving system is operating the vehicle.
• Modernization of headlamp testing: Updates the rigid 12.8-volt testing requirement for integral-beam headlamps, allowing manufacturers to certify performance at design voltages suited to long-life LED lighting systems and advanced lighting technologies.
• Design flexibility for vertically arranged headlamps: Eliminates outdated requirements dictating the vertical order of low- and high-beam headlamps, giving manufacturers greater freedom in vehicle front-end design without compromising vehicle safety or lighting standards.

Vehicles equipped with manual controls will remain subject to traditional requirements. For autonomous vehicles that do not have turn signals intended for human drivers, the agency proposes requiring a visual indicator to warn of lighting system failures, visible from all designated seating positions.