US government allows Adaptive driving beam headlight systems (ADB) onto news cars in US market

In last February, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that adaptive driving beam headlights(ADB) will be allowed to be installed onto new vehicles.

Adaptive driving beam headlight systems (ADB) are of automatic headlight beam switching technology to illuminate less light on occupied area of the road than the unoccupied part. These new smart headlights can improve down-road visibility without making a blinding glare for oncoming vehicles, and they are useful for distance illumination of pedestrians, animals. 

Thousands of accidents arising from headlight glare have been reported to the NHTSA over the last 40 years. Since 2010, pedestrian deaths in the U.S. are up to 45%. There were 6,236 pedestrian deaths covering one in six traffic deaths in 2020. Data from the NHTSA showed that 72% of pedestrian deaths and 51% of driver deaths happen at night. 

These problems can be solved with smart headlights. ADB systems can detect surrounding conditions of the road in advance and provide light only when necessary. Instead of an sudden change from low to high beams, an ADB system adjusts the brightness and shape of the headlights to suit the situation well.Also, ADB systems can provide better visibility in other poor weather like fog and rain.


NHTSA has not approved the use of adaptive driving beam headlights on new cars until February because they were not up to the requirement of low beam maximum levels.  However, after the US infrastructure law was issued in November 2021 by US administration, NHTSA finally agreed to make final ruling on allowing Adaptive driving beam headlight systems (ADB) by late 2023.