Updated requirements for Technical Standards Document (TSD) 108

Current status: Open
Open on June 11, 2024 and closing on July 29, 2024.

Under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, Transport Canada regulates the safety performance of motor vehicles and equipment in Canada. The act requires any company that imports or makes vehicles in one province and sells them in another province to certify that these new vehicles meet all applicable safety regulations and standards.

The Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 108 - Lighting System and Retroreflective Devices, contains provisions for lighting devices installed on road vehicles. CMVSS 108 incorporates Technical Standards Document (TSD) 108 – Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment, which specifies the requirements for original lamps, reflective devices, and associated devices. TSD 108 is a reproduction of the United States’ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s lighting standard.

The United States updated their lighting standard on February 22, 2022. This update allows adaptive driving beam (ADB) headlamps to be installed on vehicles. ADB headlamps make it easier for drivers to see at night, without affecting the visibility of oncoming drivers. When ADB is installed on vehicles it will improve road safety by allowing more visibility for the driver.

As a result, TSD 108 is no longer aligned with the United States and needs to be updated. This proposal incorporates all changes the United States made to their lighting standard. As such, the ADB requirements in TSD 108 will be fully aligned with those of the United States.

Reference documents

Proposed TSD 108 (changes highlighted in yellow):

  • Changes can be found on pages viii, ix, 10, 13, 15-16, 45-47, 50, 53-54, 60-61, 104-108, 120, 155-156, and 176-182
  • On the French version, the changes can be found on pages xiv, xv, 3, 4, 6, 8, 39-41, 45, 47-49, 55-56, 105-110, 123-124, 171-172 and 192-199

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How to participate

Please submit your comments by email to RegulationsClerk-ASFB-Commisauxreglements@tc.gc.ca by July 29, 2024, and include "Update to Technical Standards Document (TSD) 108" in the subject line.

If you provide comments via a document submission or an e-mail, as set out in sections 19 and 20 of the Access to Information Act, be sure to identify any parts of your comments that we shouldn’t make public if they include personal information or third-party information. Explain why your comments should be kept private, and for how long. Unless you specify that a section is private, it may be included in any regulatory proposal that Transport Canada publishes in the Canada Gazette.

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