China’s industry ministry has proposed new rules requiring vehicles with Level 3 and stronger autonomous driving capabilities to be equipped with blue-green exterior lights that indicate a car’s self-driving function is activated, a move aimed at curbing potentially distracting designs of smart vehicles.

The proposal aims to clearly distinguish highly autonomous vehicles from those using lower-level assisted-driving features, paving the way for the broader commercialization of self-driving technology in the country while phasing out unauthorized exterior lights on existing cars.