Audi pushing DOT to allow its sequential LED turn signals

Still in the process of trying to get its trick LED Matrix Beam headlights legalized in the US, Audi is now trying to get its front and rear sequential LED turn signals approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Just like its auto-dimming headlights, the sequentially illuminating turn signals don't meet NHTSA's Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108.

The problem, according to Automotive News, is that the individual lighting elements are too small to meet current US safety regulations. The rule states that each lamp should be 22 square centimeters (8.6 square inches) and the whole lighted combined area must be 50 square centimeters (19.6 square inches). In the individual sequence, Audi's lights are much smaller than that. As for the Ford Mustang, which has had sequential turn signals since 2010, this system is legal since the first lens is large enough to meet the required size, so the other two lights really aren't even necessary.

It sounds like it could be some time before we see these turn signals on Audis in the US, which is a shame because in addition to their styling bebefuts, we think they're more effective at signaling the vehicle's intended direction of travel, and they do a better job of grabbing the eye.

 

love love love audi's light tech

hummm, cars already have sequential rear turn signals.....mustang has them (and older cougar had them)

 

as great as the tech is...i think the housing itself just looks overly busy, maybe it'll grow on me but for now it looks very odd

 

time to change, that's all i have to say

 

Until Audi and the other brands are successful, I'll stick with my retrofitting . . . lulz

 

Prior to a change in 1984, we had lighting rules that mandated sealed beam headlights. Those had been required since 1939, but we've made a lot of technological progress in the years since. Fortunately, the DOT and the NHTSA woke up to the fact that time moves on and there are improvements - not just "jewelry" that can rather dramatically improve your vision (and visibility) on the road. Significant improvements need to be evaluated frequently and regulations modified as needed in the public interest.

My first couple of vehicles (admittedly a '52 motor scooter and a '56 motorcycle) gave me a little taste of what early drivers had to deal with in terms of driving at night. Both had lighting systems driven off the vehicle's magneto - that provided wildly variable lighting with engine speed. On a good dark night, slowing for an intersection literally dowsed the lights, leaving you to negotiate the corner in near-darkness. With the bike's gearbox, at least I had the option to downshift and rev the engine to give me a few candlepower to see the apex that had suddenly disappeared when I pulled the clutch. Both vehicles used a standard 36/32 candlepower bulb for high/low beams - not a whole lot considering the separate reflector and glass lens.

That's why we we need regular reviews of safety equipment. Some of the stuff that might once have been the latest technology could now get you killed.

 

So were they actually able to change the law? I see there are BMWs and MBs available with active LED high beams now.

 

Amber colored turn signal lights is what is needed. Whether the bulb is colored or the lense or the reflector, does it matter? Rules are mind numbing.

 

I'm surprised they can't just have this as a separate "Auto" setting along with a standard hi-low setting & slip it past. While I could never pay $3k for a set of headlights, I'd love to see this type of system become commonplace (assuming it dims reliably).

Edit: Or have the typical high beam setting be high/auto.