NHTSA proposes forcing automakers to install passenger seat belt reminder systems

According to foreign media reports, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed on August 21 that car companies be required to equip the front and rear passenger seats of vehicles with seat belt warning systems to establish consistency and increase seat belt usage. .

NHTSA's proposed rule would amend a federal regulation on occupant crash protection known as Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208, which provides for visual and audible alerts to alert drivers when necessary. Seat belts do not require warnings to passengers in other seats.

For rear-seat passengers, NHTSA's new proposal requires vehicles to provide a visual warning for at least 60 seconds if a rear-seat occupant is not wearing a seat belt after the vehicle is started. If a rear passenger unbuckles their seat belt while the vehicle is driving, the vehicle will add visual and audible warnings lasting at least 30 seconds. For the front seats, the proposal would require the use of visual and audible warnings for both the driver and front passenger if their seat belts are not fastened.

Image source: NHTSA

The requirement would apply to passenger cars, light trucks and most bus models, as well as utility passenger vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 10,000 pounds or less. NHTSA said automakers can adjust the characteristics of warning signals, such as frequency and volume.

One year after the final rule is published, the seat belt warning requirement for front-seat passengers will take effect on September 1 of that year. Two years after the final rule is published, the seat belt warning requirement for rear-seat passengers will take effect on September 1 of that year.

NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson said in a statement that wearing seat belts is one of the most effective ways to prevent injuries and deaths in car crashes. He said: "Nearly 43,000 people were killed on U.S. roadways in 2021, and half of them were not wearing seat belts. This proposed rule could lower that number by getting more people to wear seat belts."

NHTSA estimates that its proposal could prevent approximately 300 nonfatal injuries and more than 100 fatalities each year. Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, said the proposal was "long overdue."

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents most major U.S. automakers, had no immediate comment on the proposal.

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a group of consumers, public health and safety groups and insurers, said there was an "urgent need" for the industry to extend seat belt warnings to all seats, adding that The U.S. Congress requested relevant rules more than a decade ago.

In a statement released Aug. 21, Peter Kurdock, the association's general counsel, praised NHTSA's proposal and urged the agency to complete the rulemaking "immediately."