Colored lights play an important part in driving safety. Red brake lights mean a vehicle is slowing down, amber turn signals indicate someone is turning, flashing red and blue indicate an emergency, and yellow lights can mean a hazard or warning.
But what about cyan? Drivers might be noticing that color more often in the future as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently proposed new federal standards for these lights as automated vehicles become more common.
Learn what the color would mean, where it’s already appearing, and what drivers should expect in the future.
What Cyan Lights on Self-Driving Cars Mean and Why They’re Being Proposed
Cyan lights would indicate that a vehicle’s automated driving system is in control and no one inside needs to actively monitor the road. The lights could appear on cars with someone behind the wheel or vehicles that operate without a human driver.
On Oct. 23, NHTSA announced a proposal to establish federal standards for these lights, including their placement and brightness. The lights would remain steady rather than flash, and drivers would be able to see them from all sides of the vehicle. The proposal is part of a broader effort to update safety requirements for automated vehicles, including those NHTSA describes as “vehicles designed never to be driven by a human being.”
“As automotive technology continues to evolve, our safety standards must keep pace with innovation in ways that do not compromise public safety,” NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said in the agency’s release. “These proposed updates address unnecessary regulatory burdens for vehicles built without traditional manual controls while establishing clear performance standards for automated vehicle marker lamps. By aligning our regulations with today’s technology, we are paving the way for safe innovation and setting clear rules of the road for automated vehicles.”
Cyan would help other drivers, pedestrians, and law enforcement recognize when an automated system is handling the driving. Unlike common driver-assistance features that help with steering or speed, these systems can operate without constant human supervision under certain conditions.
The lights wouldn’t give self-driving cars any special privileges or change how other drivers should behave around them.
Where Cyan Lights on Cars Have Already Appeared and When More Could Arrive
Courtesy Mercedes Benz
Mercedes-Benz has already received permission to use turquoise-colored lights on certain vehicles in California and Nevada. California approved testing on freeways, while Nevada allowed the lights on certain production vehicles.
The lights work with Mercedes-Benz’s Drive Pilot system, which can handle driving under specific conditions. A driver still needs to remain available to take control when requested. The company has tested the lights near the outside mirrors and on the front and rear of its vehicles.
“Mercedes-Benz is committed to standardizing the color turquoise,” the company said in a release, explaining that the goal is to make automated driving systems easier for people to recognize around the world.
Those approvals came before NHTSA’s latest proposal, which could establish a consistent standard for other manufacturers across the country. For now, the new federal rules are still under consideration. Even if NHTSA finalizes them, carmakers wouldn’t have to install cyan lights on self-driving vehicles. Manufacturers that choose to use them would need to follow the new standards.
Under the proposal, the lights could turn on when the automated system is driving without someone monitoring the road. They’d have to turn off when a person is expected to resume that responsibility. Drivers wouldn’t need to do anything differently when they see cyan lights, but they’d have a clearer idea of who’s controlling the vehicle.
Sources
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Trump’s Transportation Department Makes Commonsense Updates to Vehicle Lighting Standards for AVs”
U.S. Department of Transportation, “Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Modernization of FMVSS No. 108 To Accommodate ADS-Equipped Vehicles”
Mercedes-Benz, “Mercedes-Benz Receives Approvals for Turquoise-Colored Automated Driving Marker Lights in California and Nevada”
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Driver Assistance Technologies”
