Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment

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This document proposes to amend the Federal motor vehicle safety standard on lighting to reduce glare from daytime running lamps (DRLs). It would do this in three stages. One year after publication of the final rule, DRLs utilizing the upper headlamp beam would not be permitted to exceed 3,000 candela at any point, thus becoming subject to the maximum candela (cd) permitted for DRLs other than headlamps. This same limit would be applied to the upper half of lower beam DRLs two years after publication of the final rule. Finally, four years after publication of the final rule, all DRLs, except lower beam DRLs, would be subject to a flat 1,500 cd limit. Lower beam DRLs would be limited to 1500 cd at horizontal or above. This action is intended to provide the public with all the conspicuity benefits of DRLs while reducing glare and is based on research that has become available since the final rule establishing DRLs was published in 1993.