The report covers the final design and implementation plan for evaluating the effectiveness of FMVSS 108: Side Marker Lamps and High Intensity Headlamps (only). In part, this is achieved by requiring side marker lamps which help drivers notice other vehicles and judge distances during darkness or other conditions of reduced visibility. High intensity headlamps have recently been allowed on passenger cars. Their light output is up to double that of existing headlamps, leading to greater nighttime sighting distances and possibly more accidents from increased headlamp glare. The plan described contains nine separate evaluation programs, including one on the cost of complying with the Standard. The first program uses mass accident data to analyze the affect of side marker lamps. The next three programs are experiments to test the effects of adverse weather on glare from high intensity headlamps, to field study sighting distance as affected by high intensity headlamps and side marker lamps, and to test side marker lamp conspicuity. If these initial studies are not sufficient to evaluate the effectiveness of high intensity headlamps and side marker lamps additional programs include field data collection at hazardous locations for nighttime performance of cars with high intensity headlamps; analysis of mass accident data for overdriving headlamps and glare complaints; field surveys of lighting system usage, headlamp misaiming (or outage). The ninth program presented is the cost sampling plan.
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