The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has postponed the effective date for the new revamped lighting standard. The group moved the date from Sept. 1 to Dec. 1, according to a report by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). A ruling late last year amended the 40-year-old Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 108, Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment, to provide a more logical presentation of the applicable regulatory requirements at a time when the lighting standard had become far too complicated, the AAIA states. The revision inserted Society of Automotive Engineer (SAE) standards directly into the body of the text rather than reference it as they currently are. In addition, the new standard reflects updated letters of interpretation. NHTSA made changes to an original December 2005 proposal when the final rule was released in December 2007, spurring 15 petitions for reconsideration of the rule. Two of the petitions requested the delay, and the others raised concerns that the reorganized FMVSS 108 imposed new requirements on compliance documentation, the AAIA states, adding as Sept. 1 approached, NHTSA reasoned that it was appropriate to first delay the standard to allow more time to analyze the petitions before the rule took effect.
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