Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108
Encyclopedia
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 (FMVSS 108) regulates all automotive
lighting, signalling and reflective
devices in the United States
. Like all other Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, FMVSS 108 is administered by the United States Department of Transportation
's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
.
Canada
's analogous regulation is called Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 (CMVSS 108), and is very similar to FMVSS 108. The primary differences are:
Both standards differ markedly from the ECE
("European") standards used in most other countries worldwide, not only in technical provisions, terminology, and requirements, but in format: each European standard deals with only one type of lighting device, while the single U.S. and Canadian standards regulate all lighting and reflective devices.
Motor vehicle
A motor vehicle or road vehicle is a self-propelled wheeled vehicle that does not operate on rails, such as trains or trolleys. The vehicle propulsion is provided by an engine or motor, usually by an internal combustion engine, or an electric motor, or some combination of the two, such as hybrid...
lighting, signalling and reflective
Automotive lighting
The lighting system of a motor vehicle consists of lighting and signalling devices mounted or integrated to the front, sides, rear, and in some cases the top of the motor vehicle...
devices in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Like all other Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, FMVSS 108 is administered by the United States Department of Transportation
United States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is an agency of the Executive Branch of the U.S. government, part of the Department of Transportation...
.
Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's analogous regulation is called Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 (CMVSS 108), and is very similar to FMVSS 108. The primary differences are:
- CMVSS 108 requires daytime running lampDaytime running lampA daytime running lamp is an automotive lighting device on the front of a roadgoing motor vehicle, installed in pairs, automatically switched on when the vehicle is moving forward, emitting white, yellow, or amber light to increase the conspicuity of the vehicle during daylight...
s on all vehicles made since 1 January 1990, while FMVSS 108 permits but does not require DRLs - CMVSS 108, through an adjunct called CMVSS 108.1, permits European headlampHeadlampA headlamp is a lamp, usually attached to the front of a vehicle such as a car or a motorcycle, with the purpose of illuminating the road ahead during periods of low visibility, such as darkness or precipitation. Headlamp performance has steadily improved throughout the automobile age, spurred by...
s, while FMVSS 108 prohibits them.
Both standards differ markedly from the ECE
World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations
The World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations is a working party of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe...
("European") standards used in most other countries worldwide, not only in technical provisions, terminology, and requirements, but in format: each European standard deals with only one type of lighting device, while the single U.S. and Canadian standards regulate all lighting and reflective devices.
See also
- Automotive lightingAutomotive lightingThe lighting system of a motor vehicle consists of lighting and signalling devices mounted or integrated to the front, sides, rear, and in some cases the top of the motor vehicle...
- HeadlampHeadlampA headlamp is a lamp, usually attached to the front of a vehicle such as a car or a motorcycle, with the purpose of illuminating the road ahead during periods of low visibility, such as darkness or precipitation. Headlamp performance has steadily improved throughout the automobile age, spurred by...
- World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle RegulationsWorld Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle RegulationsThe World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations is a working party of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe...
External links
- FMVSS 108 full text
- CMVSS 108 full text
- CMVSS 108.1 full text
- ECE regulations (see regulations 119, 113, 112, 104, 99, 98, 91, 87, 82, 77, 76, 74, 72, 70, 69, 65, 57, 56, 50, 48, 45, 38, 37, 31, 23, 20, 19, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 1)
- U.S. DOT Docket Viewer (Enter docket # 8885 to view U.S. DOT headlamp glare regulation proposal and comments thereto)