Congress clears flashing brake lights to cut rear-end crashes
H.R. 1361 — Collision Avoidance Systems Act of 2025 · Filed by Daniel Webster (R-FL) · 47 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 13, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill allows vehicles to use pulsating (flashing) high-mounted brake lights that pulse up to 4 times for 1.2 seconds when the brake is applied, then switch to a steady light. The Department of Transportation must issue regulations within 180 days to set performance standards and formally permit this technology, which proponents argue helps prevent rear-end collisions by drawing driver attention more effectively than steady brake lights alone.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a clarification and rulemaking directive to permit and standardize a specific collision-avoidance technology (pulsating brake lights). It is a straightforward safety regulation, not a tax measure, appropriation, or industry carve-out.
What the text implies
- Automakers will need to engineer and test pulsating brake-light systems to comply with DOT performance standards, creating compliance costs that may be passed to consumers as an optional or standard feature.
- The 180-day rulemaking window is tight; if DOT standards are unclear or overly prescriptive, aftermarket adoption may lag, limiting the safety benefit to new vehicles.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
automotive manufacturers (engineering and production of pulsating brake-light systems); automotive suppliers (brake-light components and control modules); aftermarket automotive parts suppliers