Pickup trucks are some of the most popular vehicles in the United States, but that doesn’t mean that they are perfect. In fact, there are some aspects of pickup trucks that can be downright dangerous, and one of them is seat belt warnings. Without effective seat belt warnings, pickup trucks are that much more dangerous. Here are the five new pickup trucks that you’ll want to avoid if safety is the utmost importance to you.

5 new pickup trucks have poor safety ratings in 1 important test

If safety is of the utmost importance when you are looking for your next 2022 pickup truck, then you’ll want to be aware of the five pickup trucks that flunked the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) seat belt test. There are five new pickup trucks that got the worst ratings the IIHS gives out for one importance test. The 2022 model year Chevrolet Colorado, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Ford F-150, Ford Maverick and Ford Ranger all received poor ratings.

Overall, the IIHS tested 10 pickup trucks

The IIHS tested ten pickup trucks and found that only the 2022 Toyota Tundra pickup truck had a good safety rating in one key test. So which trucks didn’t? The 2022 model year Ram 1500 and Toyota Tacoma got marginal ratings. While the Ram’s alert didn’t start soon enough, the Tacoma’s wasn’t long enough. In addition, the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz and 2022 Nissan Frontier “satisfy the requirements for the front row” but don’t have second-row reminders.

The Toyota Tundra had to make an “audible signal and visual alert on the dashboard display, overhead panel or center console when the vehicle is moving at least 6 mph and the system detects an unbelted occupant in the driver or passenger seat or the unfastening of a second-row belt that was previously buckled.”

The seat belt reminder is important

Everyone knows that seat belts are an important part of safety, but that doesn’t mean that everyone wears them. In fact, the president of the IIHS, David Harkey, says “National belt use observations show that people driving or riding in pickups are less likely to buckle up than occupants of other vehicles, so effective reminders are especially important for these vehicles.”

There are a variety of reasons why people don’t buckle up, including misjudging their effectiveness, being unable or unwilling to comply, or simply forgetting. That’s why seat belt reminders are so important. While they can remind you to buckle up, they can also help drivers know if their passenger hasn’t fastened their seat belt.

Yet not every new pickup truck does a good job of issuing these oh-so-important reminders. The IIHS says that most new popular pickup trucks failed its seat belt reminder test, and that’s a huge problem. Without effective reminders, it’s harder to keep people safe.