U.S. May Get Approval for New Safety Feature

Soon, it’s not just Europe and Japan that will get to enjoy the technology of adaptive laser headlights.

The United States has a strict policy when it comes to technologies for cars. For one, adaptive laser headlights and cameras in place of traditional mirrors are not allowed in vehicles. Several concept cars such as the Honda e have proposed these types of features only to scrap the idea once the cars go into production.

Fortunately, though, this might soon change for American consumers. According to a report published by Reuters, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is planning on testing a new technology for future approval.

The agency is set to examine “driving behavior and lane change maneuver execution” in cars equipped with traditional mirrors compared to cars installed with camera-based systems. An alliance of automakers formed by General Motors, Volkswagen, Toyota, and Tesla in 2014 previously petitioned for the NHTSA to allow the technology in the U.S.

The Lexus ES was the first production car to have the feature earlier this year, but it is not available on the version sold on the American market. Another model offering the same tech is the Audi E-tron, but also not in the U.S.

Having cameras instead of mirrors in a car can prove beneficial for both consumer and car manufacturers. Among the benefits it can yield are better aerodynamics due to decrease in wind noise, increased fuel economy, improved visibility, and reduced weight.

Automotive safety technology is an area for improvement among American automakers and it would surely be of help if the NHTSA could pave the way for the approval and introduction of advanced safety features for vehicles to the public.