WASHINGTON — The Department of Transportation is suggesting fresh regulations aimed at promoting the utilization of seat belts by individuals riding in cars and trucks, even those occupying the rear seats.
The novel regulations put forth by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would mandate vehicle manufacturers to install supplementary seat belt reminder systems for both the front passenger on the right side and the rear seats. These measures are intended to foster greater adherence to seat belt usage.
“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 a statement. “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.”
The suggested regulations would establish both visual and auditory alerts for the right front passenger seat, and these alerts would persist until both the driver and the front passenger have fastened their seat belts. In the case of the rear seats, the regulations introduce a visual notification that lasts for at least 60 seconds after the vehicle is started, indicating the status of the rear seat belts. Furthermore, an auditory warning would activate if a rear seat belt remains unfastened while the vehicle is in motion.
Currently, existing regulations mandate such visual and auditory warnings exclusively for the driver’s seat and not for other seating positions.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) approximates that these proposed mandates could prevent around 300 non-fatal injuries and more than 100 fatalities each year. These requirements would be applicable to passenger cars, trucks, most buses, and multipurpose passenger vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less.
Based on NHTSA’s data, seat belts reduce the risk of fatality by 55% for individuals in rear seats of passenger cars and by 74% for those in light trucks and vans. For front seat occupants, seat belts decrease the fatality risk by 44% for passenger cars and between 63% and 73% for light trucks and vans.
The proposed alterations were initially introduced for public consideration in 2019. The NHTSA will be accepting public feedback on the proposed regulations for the upcoming 60 days.
