Some of us need a Safety belt use on U.S. roads approaches 80 percent, up from fewer than 20 percent in the early 1970s. But what about the holdouts, those who are hard to convince to buckle up? Ford was first among automakers to try to reach these motorists by going beyond the safety belt reminder systems required in all passenger vehicles. Now, spurred by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), virtually every automaker is going beyond the soundand-light warning that’s required if a driver’s safety belt isn’t fastened. This warning is brief. NHTSA isn’t allowed to require any sound persisting longer than eight seconds.

“It’s easy to ignore such a brief warning,” says Institute chief scientist Allan Williams, “and under current federal law it isn’t possible for NHTSA to require longer warnings that might prove more effective.”

But automakers may install any kind of reminder they want. The first voluntary system, a chime-and-light sequence that persists in intervals for up to five minutes if a driver doesn’t buckle up, was introduced in 2000 model Fords.

“Call it benevolent nagging. The chime Ford uses isn’t unpleasant, and it keeps on reminding you for five minutes. When we evaluated this system we found it produces a modest but important increase in belt use,” Williams says (see Status Report, Feb. 9, 2002; on the web at www.highwaysafety.org.

Based in part on the Institute’s evaluation of Ford’s reminder system, NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey Runge urged all automakers in February 2002 to “consider voluntarily adding inexpensive, but effective, buckle up reminder systems” and to do so “as quickly as possible.” Now reminders are in most 2004 model passenger vehicles.

All reminders aren’t alike: There’s variation among automakers in terms of the kinds of belt reminders they’re using and how many models they’re equipping. Audi, Ford, Hyundai, Porsche, and Volkswagen say they’re putting reminders with intermittent lights and chimes in all 2004 passenger vehicles. Other manufacturers report lesser percentages. The loudness, urgency, sequence, and duration of the lights and chimes vary somewhat. General Motors adds a text message instructing drivers to buckle up.

Less elaborate reminders are in Infiniti, Lexus, Nissan, Saab, Scion, and Toyota models (except Toyota Prius). A light stays on, but no chime persists beyond eight seconds (the Prius does have a persistent chime). In contrast, enhanced reminders aren’t in any Hummers or models made by Isuzu, Land Rover, Mini, Mercedes, Subaru, or Volvo.

“Lights-only reminders haven’t been evaluated yet, but the systems with audible warnings are almost certainly going to be more effective because a repeating chime or other sound is harder to ignore,” Williams says.

Idea of enhanced reminders isn’t new: In the early 1970s when only about 20 percent of drivers were buckling up, NHTSA tried several approaches to improve the situation. First there was a mandatory 60-second buzzer light in cars without automatic restraints (virtually no cars back then had such restraints). Starting with 1974 models, cars without automatic restraints couldn’t be started if front-seat occupants weren’t belted.

The buzzer-light reminder wasn’t effective, Institute research found, but ignition interlocks did work. A separate Institute study found 59 percent of drivers using their belts in cars with interlocks, while the use rate was only 28 percent in cars with buzzer lights.

The problem was that many motorists didn’t like interlocks. Public outcry against them led Congress to prohibit NHTSA from requiring them. Congress also told the agency it couldn’t require any audible signal exceeding eight seconds.

“Nowadays motorists apparently don’t object so much to being reminded. Maybe interlocks still wouldn’t be accepted, but reminders of the type Ford pioneered seem to be okay,” Williams says. The Institute surveyed Ford owners, most of whom said they like their reminders. Almost half said they buckle up more often because they’re being reminded (see Status Report, June 16, 2003; on the web at www.highwaysafety.org.

Belt reminders in Europe, too: No requirement forces automakers to equip cars in the European Union with any kind of reminder (Sweden does require them). Although belt use rates exceed 90 percent in many European countries, reminders still are needed because use rates in serious crashes are lower. And now there’s a powerful incentive to install reminders because doing so can boost a vehicle’s consumer safety rating.

The European New Car Assessment Program rates passenger vehicles based primarily on performance in front and side crash tests.

Courtesy of the IIHS