The Collision Avoidance Systems Act of 2025 would clarify federal motor vehicle safety rules to expressly permit pulsating light systems for high-mounted stop lamps. The bill defines a pulsating light system as a brake light that flashes rapidly up to four times for no more than 1.2 seconds when the brake is applied, then switches to a steady light until the brake is released, with a five-second lockout before the pattern can repeat after release.
The bill also directs the Secretary of Transportation to update Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 within 180 days to add performance-based standards for these systems and to allow their use on vehicles covered by the standard. In effect, it would remove regulatory uncertainty for manufacturers and suppliers seeking to install this type of rear lighting technology on motor vehicles subject to federal safety standards.
Impact
The bill would amend the practical application of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 by deeming pulsating high-mounted stop lamps permissible upon enactment and requiring conforming rulemaking by the Department of Transportation. Its impact would fall primarily on vehicle manufacturers, lighting suppliers, and regulators, while potentially affecting vehicle design, certification, and compliance practices for brake-light systems nationwide.
Sentiment
There is no recorded committee debate or vote history in the provided materials, but the bill’s bipartisan sponsorship by Senators Tillis and Luján suggests a generally constructive and technical policy purpose rather than a partisan one. The measure appears aimed at improving rear-end collision avoidance through a narrowly tailored safety standard clarification.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided context. Potential areas of concern, if raised, would likely involve whether pulsating brake lights could confuse drivers, whether the technology should be standardized through regulation rather than statute, and how quickly the Department of Transportation should revise Standard 108. However, no opposing arguments or recorded objections are included here.
House Substitute for Senate Bill 366 by Committee on Transportation - Prohibiting the use of a mobile telephone while operating a motor vehicle in school or construction zones and providing penalties thereof and permitting the display of certain lighting in road construction zones by vehicles and trailers engaged in highway construction and maintenance operations.
Permitting highway construction and maintenance vehicles in road construction zones to display flashing amber, white or green lights at all times or flashing white and blue lights on stationary trailers under certain conditions and prohibiting the use of a mobile telephone while operating a motor vehicle in a school zone or a road construction zone.