US regulators propose cyan marker lights to show when a robotaxi is driving itself
A single optional signal would let police and other road users tell at a glance that no human is in control, while Tesla's Cybercab faces a separate audit.
US regulators have proposed a national rule that would let driverless vehicles show they are operating themselves through cyan, a blue-green marker light. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration framed the change as a revision to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, which governs vehicle lighting. The cyan lights would be optional for manufacturers, but the proposal sets official standards for their colour, brightness and placement so operators such as Waymo, Zoox and Nuro, along with GM and Mercedes-Benz, adopt one consistent signal. The same proposal would drop lighting requirements that assume a human driver, including manual beam switches and hazard controls inside the cabin. Separately, the agency has opened an audit of Tesla's Cybercab over its certification, which lacks mirrors, pedals and a steering wheel that the standard requires.
Why it matters
For police, other drivers and pedestrians, a shared cyan light would mean a driverless vehicle can be recognised the same way across manufacturers, instead of each company using its own cue. Because the lights would be optional, the change would only apply where companies choose to fit them, and the proposal also drops lighting controls that assume a person is in the driving seat. The separate audit of the Cybercab shows that certification of vehicles without mirrors, pedals or a steering wheel is now being checked against the standard that assumed a human driver.
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