NHTSA Will Require Audible Seatbelt Reminders For Everyone In the Car

Longtime Slashdot reader sinij shares a report from Car and Driver with the caption: 'As someone that uses back seats to carry some luggage, I am not a fan of this requirement.' From the report: Previously, federal standards governing seatbelt warnings only required manufacturers to monitor the driver's seat, issuing a chime if its seatbelt was unbuckled when the vehicle was underway. Now, a new rule has been finalized, requiring all new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. to have enhanced front seatbelt warnings by September 1, 2026, and rear seatbelt warnings by September 1, 2027.

It's exactly 50 years since Congress attempted to mandate ignition interlocks tied to seatbelt use, in an effort to reduce deaths on the road. In that instance, the public revolted and the House blinked, repealing the interlock requirement later in the same year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that these new regulations will save about 50 lives per year, and reduce injuries by 500.

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