MENU
SEARCHNHTSA wants front, rear passenger signals in new passenger vehicles.
The NHTSA estimates the rule would prevent more than 100 traffic deaths a year and some 300 injuries.
IMAGE: Pexels/freestocks.org
U.S. traffic safety regulators have proposed more seat belt reminder systems in new passenger vehicles.
The proposed National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rule would require automakers to install the reminder signals for front and rear passenger seats in vehicles of 10,000 pounds gross weight and lighter. The signals are currently required only for the driver’s seat, though the rule would also enhance those.
A visual signal after the car is started and lasting 60 seconds and an audio-visual signal while it’s operating and lasting 30 seconds would alert the driver of unbuckled rear seat belts, much longer than current driver signals last - about 10 seconds. In the front, audio-visual signals would engage until the driver and passenger seat belts are buckled.
The NHTSA says automakers could adjust frequency and volume of the signals for effectiveness and owners’ satisfaction.
The division of the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates the rule, if adopted, would prevent more than 100 traffic deaths a year and some 300 injuries. It said seat belt use is up from a decade ago but that rear seat belt use is lower than that in front seats. It said buckling up cuts risk of fatality in the rear by 55% in passenger cars and by 74% in light trucks and vans.
NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson said in a press release that half of the nearly 43,000 people who died in auto crashes in 2021 were unbuckled.
The NHTSA will take public comment about the proposed rule for 60 days.
Originally posted on Auto Dealer Today
A growing Maryland automotive group is only the 93-year-old dealership’s third owner after its longtime proprietors retired.
Read More →
Barrington Porsche will be the new location for Murgado Automotive Group’s existing Porsche dealership currently in the Motor Werks of Barrington auto mall.
Read More →
Feldman Automotive Group added two new brands, Honda and Toyota, to its portfolio with its latest acquisition of four Fireside dealerships in Ohio.
Read More →
The franchisees’ state-level actions follow a California auto dealers trade group lawsuit against the VW affiliate last year, both efforts to stop the EV maker’s plan to sell direct to consumers.
Read More →
First-quarter auto sales increased as more consumers took advantage of government incentives. Hybrid deliveries are leading the way on the electrifieds boom.
Read More →
At nearly 14%, California had the lowest zero-emission vehicle market share in the first quarter since the fourth quarter of 2021, according to the California New Car Dealers Association.
Read More →
EREVs, also known as ‘series hybrids,’ may catch on in the U.S., where they currently have barely a toehold, as automakers tilt away from some purely electric models and consumers crave more range.
Read More →
Hybrids in particular lead not only EV market share but all power trains on the continent so far this year as gas and diesel continue their decline.
Read More →
Building on a previously announced $26 billion U.S. investment, Hyundai said it will grow its North American lineup and U.S.-based production and parts sourcing.
Read More →
Sony-Honda venture cancels two planned models, the first of which had been pegged for a mid-2026 California delivery debut. The brand’s direct sales had been challenged by the state’s auto dealers, but the venture cites Honda’s EV retreat.
Read More →