Looking for a good article on the history of US lighting regulations

eggsalad

Enlightened
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Mar 30, 2013
Messages
268
For research purposes of an article I'm fleshing out...

There's good stuff in the stickies about the history of FMVSS108, but there were obviously lighting regulations before that. It seems like some of the lighting laws were a hodgepodge of state and federal regulations, but I want to piece it all together.

I'm looking for stuff like when the requirement for one stop lamp became two, when any manner of headlight went away and sealed beams were adopted, turn signal requirements, etc, etc.

Anybody have any good links to pertinent web information? Thank you in advance.
 

-Virgil-

Flashaholic
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Mar 26, 2004
Messages
7,802
Read this and this. That'll get you most of what you're looking for.

when any manner of headlight went away and sealed beams were adopted

1940 through 1983 was the era of standardized sealed beam headlamps in the US.
 

-Virgil-

Flashaholic
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Mar 26, 2004
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7,802
You're welcome! Will your article be published/posted somewhere? Can you link it?
 

eggsalad

Enlightened
Joined
Mar 30, 2013
Messages
268
Gladly, once I get there. As I said, I'm fleshing out the article as I go. It will be an overview of overall regulation of the automobile, but so far it seems like lighting was pretty much the first facet of overall regulations. This one might take a while.
 
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