If you always use your seat belt, no exceptions, you don’t need to read this article. However, if you need the audible reminder to buckle up, or if you are one of the nine or 10% of drivers or passengers that just don’t use seat belts, then continue reading.

Automakers have moved quickly to install louder, more persistent seat belt reminders since the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) began rating the features in 2022.

That first year, only 17% of the new models tested earned a good rating, while 65% were rated marginal or poor. But manufacturers have already flipped those numbers. Sixty-two percent of the 2024 models tested so far are rated good, while only 24% are rated marginal or poor.

Failure to buckle up continues to play a large role in crash deaths. In 2022, about 92% of front-seat occupants and 82% of rear-seat occupants were belted in the government’s on-road observational survey of seat belt use. But a much smaller percentage of the vehicle occupants killed in crashes — only half of those in the front seat and a quarter of those in back — were belted during the crashes that killed them.

Many future crash victims could be saved with better seat belt reminders, IIHS research has found. While a small number of people still adamantly refuse to buckle up, many part-time seat belt users neglect to use them on short trips or simply forget.

An IIHS study found that a persistent reminder was much more effective at getting part-time users to buckle up than a minimal reminder and just as effective as a speed-limiting interlock that kept the vehicle speed under 15 mph unless the driver was buckled in.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed tougher federal standards in 2023, but the proposed rule lacked several important components, such as an adequate volume requirement, and has not moved forward.

For now, regulations specify only that seat belt reminders must include an audible signal that lasts for 4-8 seconds total and a visual alert that lasts at least 60 seconds whenever the driver’s seat belt is unbuckled. Such short reminders are easy to ignore.

In contrast, to get a good rating from IIHS, vehicles must have an audible reminder that lasts at least 90 seconds if any of the occupied front seats remains unbuckled, as well as meet volume standards and other conditions. A visual and persistent audible reminder lasting at least 30 seconds that alerts the driver when a belted rear occupant unbuckles is also required.

Some automakers have gone even further, equipping vehicles with audible alerts that don’t stop until all the occupants are buckled in, no matter how long it takes, or adding reminders for third-row occupants.

“This rapid progress represents a big win,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “Making sure everybody uses their seat belt on every trip is a simple way to save lives.”