The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it intends to form a negotiated-rulemaking committee to produce consensus recommendations for the agency's next overhaul of the federal rules on vehicle headlights, taillights, reflectors and related lighting equipment. NHTSA is taking public comment on the plan and accepting nominations for a seat on the committee, both due November 9.
What the committee would take up
NHTSA says the committee would help modernize Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, "Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment," by producing a consensus "term sheet" to guide a future rulemaking proposal. The notice lists the topics: glare caused by headlighting systems, replaceable light sources, dusk sensors, plastic optical materials, semiautomatic beam switching, minimum lamp size requirements, lower and upper beam photometry, on-vehicle headlamp performance accounting for aim and mounting height, auxiliary lamp requirements, three-wheel motorcycle installation requirements, obsolete physical test requirements for associated equipment, test procedures for lamps with replaceable lenses, and harmonizing with international standards. The agency traces the effort to a rulemaking it opened in the Spring 2018 Unified Agenda and says it gained momentum after a 2019 petition from Osram Sylvania about LED replacement light sources.
Who would hold the seats
NHTSA proposes that the committee consist of up to 18 members, each qualified to represent one of six categories: four from vehicle lighting manufacturers or lighting retailers; two from national motor vehicle manufacturers; four from national motor vehicle or equipment manufacturing associations; two from national motor vehicle or equipment safety organizations; three from educational institutions, research institutions or testing organizations in the United States; and three from national professional engineering or standard-setting associations. Those figures add to 18, by this desk's count. The notice says the committee will also include a representative from NHTSA who will participate fully in its deliberations and is authorized to represent the agency in negotiations; it does not say whether that seat sits inside the 18 or beside them. The Secretary of Transportation would appoint each member for a single two-year term or until the committee's work is complete, whichever comes sooner, and members serve at the Secretary's pleasure, unpaid.
How to apply or comment
Comments go through regulations.gov under Docket No. NHTSA-2026-1981, or by mail to the Department's Docket Management Facility. Membership applications go to an email address the notice prints, or by overnight mail only to NHTSA's Office of Rulemaking. Applicants self-nominate or are nominated, submitting their name, title and contact information, the interests they would represent, a letter of support on letterhead, a short biography, and a written commitment to participate in good faith; materials must total two pages or less and carry the applicant's full legal name and date of birth. Comments on the proposal, including its proposed scope and proposed balance of representation, are due November 9, 2026; membership applications are due the same day, by 5 p.m. ET.
What happens to the committee's recommendations
If the committee reaches consensus, the notice says the Department "will issue a proposed rule consistent with that consensus" for ordinary public comment. NHTSA says it intends to publish that proposed rule promptly after the committee submits its recommendations, the Secretary approves them "either as submitted or in modified form," and after consultation with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, which reviews draft federal rules — meaning the Secretary is not required to adopt the committee's recommendations unchanged. The committee ends when it submits its recommendations to the Secretary, or at the expiration of a period not to exceed two years, unless the Secretary renews its charter.