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The rule, aimed at improving road safety, also expands seat belt warning systems to include outboard front-seat passengers, in addition to the driver. The agency predicts the changes will save approximately 50 lives per year and prevent 500 injuries annually once fully implemented.

Currently, seat belt warnings are required only for the driver’s seat, but under the new rule, the alert will be extended to outboard front-seat passengers as well. However, the NHTSA determined that it would not be cost-effective to require warnings for front-center seats, and therefore, those seats will be exempt. Many vehicles already include alerts for outboard front-seat passengers.

In addition, the regulation will extend the duration of both audio and visual seat belt warnings for the driver’s seat, with those new requirements taking effect on September 1, 2026.

Rear-seat seat belt use is notably lower than that of front-seat passengers, with 2022 data showing that around 92% of front-seat occupants used seat belts, compared to only 82% of rear passengers. NHTSA statistics also revealed that nearly half of passengers who died in car crashes in 2022 were not wearing seat belts.

The new rule will apply to passenger cars, trucks, buses (excluding school buses), and multipurpose vehicles weighing up to 10,000 pounds.

This regulation follows another recent NHTSA initiative in November, which enhanced the agency’s five-star safety ratings to include assessments for driver assistance technologies and pedestrian protection, marking a broader push to improve vehicle safety across multiple fronts.

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