INDIANA – After more than a decade of persistent advocacy, Kids and Car Safety is celebrating a significant vehicle safety milestone as the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) finalized a rule requiring seat belt use warnings for rear seats and enhanced warnings for driver and front passenger seats.
Once fully implemented, NHTSA estimates the new rule will prevent over 500 injuries and 50 fatalities annually.
Previously, the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS 208) only required seat belt reminders for the driver’s seat. Expanding these protections to all seating positions marks a critical step forward in passenger safety.
Under the new rule, automakers must equip new vehicles with enhanced seat belt warning system requirements for front-seat passengers starting September 1, 2026, and for rear-seat passengers by September 1, 2027. However, Kids and Car Safety encourages vehicle manufacturers to implement these systems earlier.
The Lifesaving Impact of Seat Belts
Seat belts save lives – an indisputable fact. According to NHTSA, seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,955 lives in 2017. However, many lives continue to be lost because they were not buckled. In 2022, nearly 60% of backseat passengers who were killed in a crash were unbuckled (based on known seat belt usage data, according to NHTSA).
“The lifesaving power of seat belts is beyond dispute. In this critical area, the government, auto industry, and safety organizations recognize their potential to save lives. We must do everything possible to restrain all passengers properly on every ride. Issuing this long-overdue statutory requirement will undoubtedly save lives and provide much-needed protection for ride-share occupants and our most precious passengers—our children—when riding in the back seat.” Janette Fennell, president Kids and Car Safety.
A Decade-Long Fight for Safety
In 2012, Congress passed the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), requiring the U.S. Department of Transportation to mandate seat belt reminders for all vehicle occupants by October 2015. Following years of inaction, Kids and Car Safety, in partnership with the Center for Auto Safety, filed a lawsuit against the DOT in 2018 to compel the issuance of this life-saving rule.
Looking Ahead
While today’s announcement is cause for celebration, the lengthy delay of more than nine years came at a tragic cost. We cannot overlook the lives lost due to these avoidable delays.
Children, in particular, stand to benefit from this new rule. NHTSA recommends that all children under age 13 ride in the back seat for maximum safety. Additional seat belt reminders will provide crucial protection for our youngest and most vulnerable little passengers.
