Why American Cars Have Side Markers (But European Cars Don't)

American cars have some really interesting lighting features, with one of the best examples being the side markers on all American-spec cars. This has always been a topic of debate, especially when comparing them against European cars. For better or worse, American regulations have always dictated the lighting systems in cars, and this is one of the reasons why they work differently from the rest of the world.

Side marker lights are not the only unique lighting feature that American cars have, they also don't have amber turn signals, and larger trucks and SUVs which go over a certain width need to have marker lights at the front and back as well, just like the Ford Raptor, which the aftermarket now calls Raptor Lights. These marker lights are simply there to improve visibility of an approaching vehicle and to determine the length and the direction the vehicle is moving in while viewing it from the sides. They became mandatory in the U.S. from 1968. This, however, is not true for European cars, and they are not required to have side marker lights.

According to the NHTSA, "The purpose of side marker lamps is to enable a driver to see another vehicle that is approaching at an angle at night — and to see it early enough that the driver can stop in time to prevent a collision or, at least, slow down to reduce the severity of the collision."

An interesting fact about the side market lights that are seen on American cars is that they are two different colours. They need to be amber at the front and red at the back. This is to determine the direction the car is moving in.

In Europe, cars which are under 6 meters don't require side marker lights, and this is a feature which is only found on heavy vehicles like trucks and buses. They don't have it because there is no law mandating the addition of side marker lights. Interestingly, putting marker lights was not legal in Europe until 1991. 

The directive was renewed with 91/663/EEC, which dictated that cars were allowed to have side marker lights. They could have amber lights at the front and red ones at the back only if they were integrated with the taillights, otherwise, they have to be amber at both ends. This is still not a mandate, it's more of a suggestion.

There have been numerous studies that state side marker lamps are safer but Europe still lags behind in this aspect of lighting on cars. That being said, American cars only have side marker lamps going for them for safety. There are things like rear fog lights, which are not mandated in America, and matrix adaptive headlights were not allowed until very recently. U.S. laws have been incredibly restrictive in terms of taking on technology. Many cars still use a single lamp for brake lights and indicators as well, even though it has been proven that amber turn signals are much safer.

There are people that sometimes remove the amber side marker lights, in favor of clear ones from the European models for a cleaner look, while some remove them entirely, and then paint or wrap them in their car's color.