Interpretation ID: aiam3565
Jr.
20 Lexington Avenue
Suffern
NY 10901;
Dear Mrs. Mitchell: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is pleased to lear that you want to install a high-mounted stop lamp on your 1978 Buick LaSabre. The two studies that the Administration funded, one with the Essex Corporation and the other with the Allen Corporation, indicated that rear end collisions could possibly be reduced by 50 percent with the use of a single high-mounted stop lamp. We do not know whether the States of New York or New Jersey will allow the use of these lamps. Our Office of Rulemaking contacted the American Association of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (AAMVA) but the information we received was indefinite, and I would suggest that you contact your local State Police for a definitive answer. The agency has proposed that passenger cars be equipped with this system, and if the proposal is adopted, the lamps would be legal in all States.; As to where to locate these lamps on the car, our research showed tha a single lamp, placed on the rear vertical centerline of the vehicle and within the back window (either inside or outside) was the most effective position. Our research also included a system of two high-mounted lamps, mounted on either side of the rear window, apparently similar to the one you observed in upstate New York, however, this was not nearly as effective as the single lamp system in reducing rear end collisions.; Sincerely, Frank Berndt, Chief Counsel