Cyan Lights Proposed For Driverless Vehicles

Federal regulators proposed a blue-green light to identify vehicles operating without a driver, a change that would alter what drivers see on the road. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released proposed amendments to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 on October 23, 2026.

The agency selected cyan for marker lamps to signal law enforcement and road users that an automated driving system is operating the vehicle. Red, amber, white, and flashing blue or red lights already serve functions such as braking, turn signals, headlights, and emergency vehicles, leaving cyan available to fill a visual gap.

Manufacturers would not be required to install the lights under the proposal. Federal requirements for color, brightness, and placement would apply to any company that chooses to install them, preventing a range of different colors and signals across vehicles. Mercedes-Benz received state-level approval for turquoise lights on its Level 3 Drive Pilot vehicles before dropping that approach for a Level 2++ system. NHTSA seeks a national standard that Waymo, Nuro, Zoox, GM, and Mercedes could adopt the same way.

The proposal also removes lighting requirements for vehicles without a human driver. Current rules mandate physical hazard switches, manual beam shifters, and turn levers inside the vehicle. NHTSA would remove those and update the 12.8-volt testing standard to accommodate modern LED systems. The agency is considering dropping rules on whether high-beam lights must sit above or below low-beam lights.

The changes support a Department of Transportation push to accelerate autonomous vehicle deployment and make it easier to build cars without traditional controls such as steering wheels and pedals. Existing federal standards still apply in the meantime.

Last month, NHTSA opened an audit query into the Tesla Cybercab to examine the process and technical data Tesla relied on when certifying the vehicle. The concern involves the absence of sideview mirrors, pedals, and a steering wheel, all required under current federal standards.

Mercedes-Benz received state-level approval for turquoise lights on its Level 3 Drive Pilot vehicles, though the automaker has since dropped that approach in favor of a Level 2++ system.

image_prompt":"a photorealistic news photo of a driverless test vehicle on a city street at dusk, cyan marker lights glowing on the roof and body panels, wet asphalt reflecting the blue-green glow, streetlights and blurred traffic in the background, cool neutral lighting, documentary style, no people, no text, no logos"}