This bill allows car manufacturers to install a new type of brake light system called a pulsating light system on vehicles. Here's what that means: when a driver hits the brakes, the high-mounted brake light (the one at the top of the rear window) will flash rapidly up to 4 times for about 1.2 seconds to grab the attention of drivers behind them. After those quick flashes, the light stays on continuously like a normal brake light until the driver releases the brake. There's a built-in safety feature too—the light won't pulse again for at least 5 seconds after the brake is released, preventing annoying or distracting repeated flashing.

The goal is to reduce rear-end collisions by making it more obvious when a car is braking, especially in situations where a driver might not notice a regular brake light. The bill tells the Department of Transportation to update the official safety standards within 180 days to officially allow this technology and set specific performance requirements for how these pulsating lights must work. This affects car manufacturers, who will have the option to add this safety feature to new vehicles, and ultimately drivers and passengers who will benefit from potentially safer roads.

Collision Avoidance Systems Act of 2025

Tillis, Thomas

Collision Avoidance Systems Act of 2025This bill allows for the use of a pulsating light system for vehicle braking.Specifically, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number&nbsp;108 (Standard 108)&nbsp;must be deemed to allow for the use of a pulsating light system on&nbsp;covered vehicles (i.e., passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, trailers, and motorcycles). The Department of Transportation must issue regulations to update Standard 108 to (1) include performance-based standards for pulsating light systems, and (2)&nbsp;allow for the use of the systems on motor vehicles.As background, Standard 108 regulates all automotive lighting, signaling, and reflective devices. Under the bill, a pulsating light system includes a system for a high-mounted stop lamp in which the lamp pulses rapidly no more than four times and for no more than 1.2 seconds when the brake of the vehicle is applied and then converts to a continuous light (as a normal stop lamp) until the brake is released.