Safety belts are among the most important safety features in your vehicle. In the event of a crash, safety belts are designed to keep you inside the vehicle and reduce the risk of you hitting the steering wheel, dashboard, or windshield.

It's recommended that new buyers sit in a vehicle, buckle up their safety belts, and check the fit.

Check the Available Features chart for each vehicle at www.safercar.gov for the availability of additional safety belt features such as adjustable upper belts, safety belt pretensioners, energy management features, intergrated safety belt systems, and safety belt extenders. This web site only includes information about Innovative Belt Reminder Systems.

Innovative Belt Reminder Systems
The purpose of a safety belt reminder is to remind vehicle occupants to wear their safety belts. All vehicles are required to have a 4- to 8-second reminder for the driver. This reminder appears as a dashboard warning light (often designed as a person in a safety belt) that also makes a buzzing or bell-like sound.

Some manufacturers have voluntarily installed innovative systems that go beyond the Federal standard and provide additional warnings when occupants are not using safety belts. These systems have visual and/or audio warnings to remind drivers to buckle up; a system to warn passengers is not yet available. In addition, some of these systems also sense how fast the vehicle is traveling, and increases the frequency of the warning.

Talk with the dealer or review the owner’s manual to find out if the vehicle you're interested in has one of these innovative systems.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and www.safercar.gov