By now, we’re all accustomed to chimes reminding front-seat passengers to fasten their seat belts. But the federal government’s primary car safety watchdog agency also wants them for rear-seat passengers.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed a rule requiring automakers to “equip vehicles with seat belt use warning systems for the right front passenger and rear seats to increase seat belt use.”
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The rules would require a visual warning that a rear-seat passenger was unbuckled, which would last 60 seconds. It also mandates a warning “lasting at least 30 seconds” if a rear seat belt came unbuckled while driving.
The rule would require similar systems for the right front passenger and an audio-visual warning for both front seats “that remains active until both the driver and right-front passenger seat occupants are belted.”
“Wearing a seat belt is one of the most effective ways to prevent injury and death in a crash,” NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson said. “In 2021, almost 43,000 people lost their lives on America’s roads, and half of those in vehicles were unbelted. This proposed rule can help reduce that number by getting more to buckle up.”
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Most manufacturers already build technology into front seats that could meet the requirements. Some higher-end cars have it for the rear seats as well. But the proposal would likely add marginal cost to inexpensive cars as manufacturers add sensors to rear seats.
