New Rear Seat Belt Alarm Rule Takes Effect in 2027

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a new rule requiring seat belt warnings for rear-seat passengers and stronger warnings for front-seat passengers.

According to the NHTSA, this will encourage more people to wear seat belts, preventing injuries and saving lives. NHTSA estimates that the rule could save about 50 lives and prevent over 500 injuries each year to people who don't buckle up.

The new rule updates the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, where vehicles only require seat belt warnings for the driver’s seat. Now, the warning systems will apply to all passenger vehicles, trucks, and multipurpose vehicles (excluding school buses) that weigh up to 10,000 pounds.

Manufacturers must implement the new warning system for front-seat passengers by Sept. 1, 2026, and for rear-seat passengers by Sept. 1, 2027. However, anyone can start using the new system before the deadlines.

“Seat belts are one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent injuries and deaths in crashes,” said NHTSA Chief Counsel Adam Raviv. “These new requirements will help remind passengers—especially in the rear seats—to buckle up.”

Currently, seat belt use is much lower in the rear seats, at 81.7%, compared to the front seats, at 91.6%. According to the NHTSA, in 2022, nearly half of all passenger vehicle fatalities involved unbelted occupants.

This rule is part of the NHTSA’s larger effort to make vehicles safer, which includes new requirements for automatic emergency braking systems and updates to the 5-Star Safety Ratings program.