The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced its final rule requiring seat belt use warnings for rear seats in passenger vehicles and enhanced warnings for driver and front passenger seats.
This rule represents a critical step toward increasing seat belt use and reducing crash-related injuries and fatalities. NHTSA estimates it will prevent over 500 injuries and save about 50 lives annually once fully implemented.
Consumer Reports (CR) strongly supports this rule and submitted comments advocating for its adoption.
“Seat belts are your first line of defense in a crash for all passengers, yet we know that passengers in the back seat are less likely to use seat belts than in the front seat,” said Emily A. Thomas, PhD, associate director of auto safety at CR. “That is why Consumer Reports has been evaluating rear belt minders since 2021. This final rule from NHTSA goes a step further by requiring manufacturers to implement rear belt minders. We commend NHTSA for putting safety first and enacting these belt minder requirements.”