NHTSA proposes cyan lights for autonomous vehicles — The Verge

The NHTSA has proposed allowing the use of cyan marker lights on autonomous vehicles. They are intended to clearly and consistently signal to law enforcement officers and other road users that the vehicle is controlled by an automated system rather than a human, The Verge reports.

A separate signal for automated driving

The proposal is part of changes to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, which regulates vehicle lighting. The regulator proposes adapting the rules for driverless vehicles and establishing a unified way for them to communicate with other road users.

The automotive industry already uses red, amber and white lights, as well as flashing blue and red signals, including for brake lights, turn signals, headlights and emergency vehicles. The NHTSA believes that cyan could occupy a separate visual niche and avoid misleading road users.

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Use will be voluntary

Installing such lights is not planned to become mandatory for manufacturers. At the same time, the NHTSA wants to define federal requirements for their color, brightness and placement so that automakers that choose such a system use a uniform and legal signaling scheme.

A single standard could potentially be used by Waymo, Nuro and Zoox robotaxi operators, as well as automakers GM and Mercedes. Previously, Mercedes-Benz received state-level permission for turquoise lights on vehicles with its Level 3 Drive Pilot automation system, but later abandoned the idea in favor of a Level 2++ system.

Reviewing lighting requirements

In addition to the new type of signal, the NHTSA also proposes eliminating some lighting requirements that do not make sense for vehicles without a human behind the wheel. Details of these changes are not provided in the available part of the material.