NHTSA: Cyan lights could mark driverless cars

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed using cyan lights to identify autonomous vehicles on the road.

The agency released proposed amendments to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 on Oct. 22. The rewrite targets vehicle lighting for cars that do not have human drivers. It aims to reduce regulatory burdens and standardize how robotaxis communicate with other road users.

NHTSA stated that the cyan marker lamps would clearly signal when an automated driving system is in control. The color fills a visual gap because the auto industry already uses red, amber, white, and flashing lights for braking, signaling, and emergency functions.

Mercedes-Benz previously won state approval for turquoise lights on its Level 3 Drive Pilot vehicles, though it has since switched to a Level 2++ system. The federal proposal seeks a national standard that companies like Waymo, Nuro, and Zoox could adopt uniformly.

The cyan lights would remain optional for manufacturers. However, the proposal sets federal requirements for color, brightness, and placement. This ensures that any company installing the lights uses a consistent legal configuration rather than a patchwork of different signals.

NHTSA also plans to remove lighting requirements that apply to human drivers. The proposal would scrap rules for physical hazard switches, manual beam shifters, and turn levers. It would update the 12.8-volt testing standard for modern LED systems and consider dropping rules about high-beam and low-beam placement.

The changes support a Department of Transportation push to speed up autonomous vehicle deployment by easing rules for cars without traditional controls. Last month, NHTSA opened an audit query into the Tesla Cybercab to examine how the company certified the vehicle despite lacking sideview mirrors, pedals, and a steering wheel.