Rear seat belt reminders to be required in 2027

The Department of Transportation is going to mandate rear seat belt reminder systems to be implemented by late 2027 in all new cars as part of ongoing efforts to reduce traffic crash deaths and injuries.

In a final rule released Monday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) finalized its rule that would require rear seats in trucks and cars to have enhanced warnings for drivers.

NHTSA estimated the new rule will prevent more than 500 injuries and save about 50 lives each year if and when it's fully implemented.

The rule will be amending the “occupant crash protection” clause of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard, which previously required warning lights to be only for a driver’s seat belt.

It will apply to cars, trucks, multipurpose vehicles and buses, except for school buses.

Car manufacturers must meet the requirement on new vehicle models starting Sept. 1, 2026, and the system will be required beginning Sept. 1, 2027. However, the NHTSA said manufacturers can begin to comply with the new rule before those deadlines.

“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.

Raviv said seat belt use has improved over several decades, but there is more that can be done to “make sure everyone buckles up.”

The reminder system uses visual and audible alerts to encourage passengers to use a seat belt.

According to the NHTSA, for those sitting in the front seat, about 91.6 percent of passengers use a seat belt. In the rear seats, about 81.7 percent of passengers use a seat belt.

About half of all vehicle deaths from car crashes were not wearing a seat belt in 2022, the NHTSA said.

The proposal is part of the department's efforts to reduce traffic deaths and increase safety after a spike in deaths following the COVID-19 pandemic.

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