Imagine having headlights that don’t blind oncoming drivers but that do a better job of showing what’s up ahead, hopefully cutting down on crashes and saving the lives of people both in and out of vehicles.
That’s what a vehicle safety rule given the green light by federal regulators aims to do, and one that automakers, safety advocates and others are cheering.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced a final rule on Tuesday to make new headlight technology, known as adaptive driving beam headlights, legal in the United States. The rule, which follows a years-long process of information-gathering and discussions on the topic, amends the current federal regulation related to headlights to allow the technology and make sure it operates safely.
The technology, which can use “advanced sensors, data processing software and headlamp hardware,” to improve how headlights illuminate roads, other vehicles, objects, animals and pedestrians, has been legal elsewhere, but now it’s on track for use on new vehicles in the United States.
That could be key as the United States grapples with increasing crash fatalities, particularly among pedestrians and bicyclists. Road deaths, for instance, hit 38,680 in 2020 and could go higher for 2021 when the numbers are finalized, according to federal government data.
Steven Cliff, NHTSA’s deputy administrator, said the agency is making the change for headlights to improve safety and protect vulnerable road users.
“NHTSA prioritizes the safety of everyone on our nation’s roads, whether they are inside or outside a vehicle. New technologies can help advance that mission,” Cliff said in a news release.
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Michael Brooks, chief operating officer and acting executive director for the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said the new technology is key because it doesn’t require driver action and it also addresses the outsized role that night driving plays in crashes.
“It’s a pretty big deal, as it marks the first important step in allowing for advanced lighting that could prove incredibly effective at reducing crashes. About half of accidents occur at night, and only about a quarter of our miles are driven at night, so we are looking at a lot night crashes in the U.S., a portion of which would certainly be prevented or mitigated through better visibility,” Brooks said.
The technology is significantly more advanced than automatic high beam technology currently available in some vehicles here. Brooks noted that with regulatory certainty automakers will also be more inclined to invest in research, and he predicted that the technology would continue to improve.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, said she’s grateful that NHTSA moved forward on the rule earlier than required as part of last year’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The rule change itself was mandated as part of the law, according to NHTSA.
“This new rule will save lives and make our roads safer. It’s a simple fix to help keep pedestrians and bicyclists safe, while also ensuring drivers have a better view of the road ahead, especially at night,” Dingell said in a statement.
The move to allow this type of technology in the United States dates back more than a decade. Following discussions with NHTSA officials, Toyota filed a formal petition with the agency in 2013.
Aaron Fowles, a Toyota spokesman, provided a statement to the Free Press, noting the automaker’s early push to allow the technology:
“As the original petitioner, Toyota appreciates NHTSA issuing this final rule, allowing automakers to install adaptive driving beam headlights on new vehicles. We look forward to reviewing the final rule and continuously working with NHTSA and other stakeholders towards further improving motor vehicle safety.”
The company offers the technology on vehicles sold in Europe and Japan.
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Toyota isn’t the only company that’s been interested in developing more advanced headlights.
Stu Fowle, a spokesman for General Motors, said GM has been advocating for approval of adaptive headlight systems in the United States, noting that the company has sold vehicles equipped with such systems in both Europe and China.
“Why we’re advocates has to do with the benefit not only for drivers, in terms of improved nighttime visibility, but for their benefit for oncoming traffic to not be impacted by high beams inadvertently left on. GM’s adaptive headlight system uses 34 beam patterns to provide the benefits of high beams all the time, while placing shadows over oncoming vehicles. The camera technology that enables adaptive headlights is already in use in the U.S. today with our automatic high beams offered on a number of models; the adaptive headlight system would bring added benefits,” Fowle said.
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Support for the technology was echoed by John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry group representing GM, Ford, Chrysler-parent Stellantis, Toyota, Volkswagen and others.
“Research shows the safety benefits of this technology, which can help provide enhanced down-road visibility without increasing glare to oncoming vehicles. We are reviewing the final rule and look forward to continuing to work with NHTSA and other stakeholders on our shared priority of a safer transportation future,” Bozzella said.
Ellen Edmonds, a spokesperson for AAA, said the group has argued in favor of the technology and that research has shown its benefits.
“In 2019, AAA released research, which found that European vehicles equipped with (adaptive driving beam technology) increase roadway lighting by as much as 86% when compared to U.S low beam headlights,” Edmonds said, describing the technology as the “the first real solution to providing more light for drivers at night.”
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence. Become a subscriber.