"Kids, put on your seatbelts" is a phrase that many of us around the country have heard from our parents before they set off on their journeys to school, church, the grocery store, and other places that require using the family car to get to.
As a kid, I hated wearing seat belts, but a subtle yet explicit warning from my parents scared me into wearing a seatbelt more than any "click it or ticket" ad that played on TV.
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"If you hit the windshield, that's not my fault," they warned six-year-old me.
Not every parent is as blunt as mine, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is prioritizing the safety of unbuckled occupants. As such, they unveiled new rules for passenger cars. However, this leaves some car enthusiasts online a bit skeptical.
Wear your seat belt in the back, or else.
In a recent announcement, the NHTSA finalized a rule requiring automakers to install a feature that will warn drivers of unbuckled rear seat belts in passenger cars.
The final rule will require cars to alert drivers about unbuckled passengers through both visual and auditory mediums. Visual alerts that show which specific passenger is unbuckled will be needed to stay up for at least 60 seconds, while audio warnings will be required to chime for at least 30 seconds if any rear-seat belts are unfastened while the vehicle is moving.
The NHTSA is also requiring that cars with removable seats, such as minivans, have a system that either auto-adjusts or comes with a plug or similar connector for the seats. Additionally, the owner's manual must explain how the system works in detail.
Automakers will be required to comply by September 1, 2027, in all new passenger cars, including popular family vehicles like three-row SUVs and minivans. Exempt from this rule are passenger vans like the Ford Transit, buses (including school buses), as well as vehicles with a gross weight of over 10,000 pounds.
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In addition to the rear-seat rules, the NHTSA is also requiring a similar upgrade for front-seat passengers. This "two-stage audible warning" will kick in as soon as you start the car and continue to ring for 30, or until you and the person riding shotgun buckles up. The second stage will kick in if a front seat stays unbuckled while the car is moving and will not stop until buckled in again.
The NHTSA estimates that the new rear seat and enhanced front seat belt warnings can save 50 lives annually.
"Wearing a seat belt is one of the easiest and most effective ways to prevent injury and death in a vehicle crash,” NHTSA Chief Counsel Adam Raviv said in a statement.
“While seat belt use has improved for decades, there’s still more we can do to make sure everyone buckles up. These new requirements will help to increase seat belt use, especially for rear seat passengers, by enhancing reminders for vehicle occupants to buckle up.”
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Car enthusiasts are divided on this issue
It is important to note that not all US states require back seat passengers to use their seat belts. According to the Governor's Highway Safety Administration (GHSA), 41 states, Washington D.C., and two territories have laws enforcing rear seat belt use, with 18 states having no laws requiring adults to be bucked up in the backseat.
In fact, New Hampshire stands alone as the sole state with no seat belt requirements for adults.
Despite the NHTSA's new rule suggesting some kind of bureaucratic overreach, the issue discussed by Reddit users on the r/Cars subreddit is more practical than pragmatic.
Some owners of four-door cars do not always carry multiple passengers in their cars, but sometimes, they can be a more convenient way to store or transport grocery shopping items, bags, and other items that can fit in the back seat as much as the trunk.
In the comments section of a post linking the AP's coverage of the ruling, one Reddit user, u/theBdub22, pointed out the obvious in a comment that got over 1,200 upvotes.
"How will the vehicles distinguish between a passenger and cargo?, they asked.
"Yep, just gonna have to buckle the seatbelts to make it shut up, " u/I_amnotanonion replied.
Other users complained that their specific car seat belt warning systems are hypersensitive. User u/ShadyDrunks mentioned that their "school back pack sets off my alarm" in their BMW, while user u/inaccurateTempedesc says that their "Jetta thinks my phone is a passenger."
However, user u/Intelligent_Hat_4600 mentioned that they solved the issue.
"My Subaru is already doing it, which is quite annoying. I bought a couple of seatbelt inserts to stop the chiming," they said.
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