Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 (FMVSS 108) regulates all automotive lighting, signalling and reflective devices in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Like all other Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, FMVSS 108 is administered by the

United States Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States and ...

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA ) is an agency of the U.S. federal government, part of the Department of Transportation. It describes its mission as "Save lives, prevent injuries, reduce vehicle-related crashes" rela ...

Usage outside of USA

Canada

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

'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 lamp A daytime running lamp (DRL, also daytime running light) is an automotive lighting and bicycle lighting device on the front of a roadgoing motor vehicle or bicycle, automatically switched on when the vehicle's handbrake has been pulled down, w ...

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 European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

headlamp A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for ...

s, while FMVSS 108 prohibits them. Both standards differ markedly from the UN (formerly "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.

New Zealand

Retroreflective material fitted to a heavy motor vehicle in New Zealand manufactured on or after 1st Jan 2006 must comply with either UNECE Regulation 104 or FMVSS 108.{{cite web , url=https://nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/choosing-the-right-vehicle/choosing-and-operating-a-heavy-vehicle/increasing-visibility/ , title=Increasing visibility | Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency

Certification

It is the responsibility of a manufacturer of vehicles and/or vehicle lamps to certify that each motor vehicle and/or lamp is in full compliance with the minimum performance requirements of FMVSS 108. This is a self-certification process as opposed to the

type approval Type approval or certificate of conformity is granted to a product that meets a minimum set of regulatory, technical and safety requirements. Generally, type approval is required before a product is allowed to be sold in a particular country, so ...

process which is used in other lighting regulations such as UNECE Regulation 48. In order to show compliance to FMVSS 108, the lens of each original equipment and replacement headlamp, daytime running lamp (DRL) and certain conspicuity reflectors must be marked with the symbol “DOT.” This symbol may also be applied to compliant signal lighting devices, but is not mandatory.

References

External links