Basic Safety Innovation Finally Approved in US: Directed Headlights

[George Rheault]

I was blown away when renting a non-luxury car in Scotland in 2017 that this headlight technology was not already available in the US (only to discover that the US transportation bureaucracy basically blocked it for years).

Bicyclists & Pedestrians Benefit

NHTSA rules to finally allow Adaptive Driving Beam technology in US - The Verge

Century-Old Technology

US Legalizes Adaptive Headlights That Won't Blind Other Drivers » AutoGuide.com News

Political Dysfunction At Heart of Delay

US approves new headlights that won't blind oncoming drivers | WGME

[John Brooking]

Adaptive headlights, available on many vehicles in Europe, Canada, and Japan, have been prohibited in the US due to rigid and outdated federal regulations. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (standard no. 108) specified requirements for lamps and reflectors dating back to 1967, which standardized binary hi / low beams, which as a result stifled newer headlight technology.

Sounds like part of the problem was a general statute-writing issue we've discussed at the BCM Legislative & Policy Committee, the problem of making legislation overly-prescriptive regarding specific technology, because technology will change. You don't necessarily want a law to promote a specific technology at the time, because it could end stifling better technology in the future. That sounds like what happened with this. The other half of the problem, of course, was the bureaucracy not reviewing and revisiting that law as it became apparent better technology was becoming available.

John Brooking

Cyclist, Cycling Educator, Technologist

http://cyclingsavvy.org

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