Everyone knows that you’re supposed to wear a seat belt in the car, but how many people do? Not enough, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). That’s why seat belt reminders are an important component of vehicle safety. Yet only one pickup truck got a good rating for its seat belt reminders, while the rest have some work to do. Here’s why the 2022 Toyota Tundra dominated the IIHS seat belt reminder test and is one of the safest pickup trucks, at least in this regard.

The 2022 Toyota Tundra is the only truck to get a good rating in this important safety test

The 2022 Toyota Tundra is the only pickup truck that got a good rating on the IIHS seat belt reminder test. While the safest 2022 pickup trucks tend to have good IIHS ratings, it’s the only one to get a good result in this particular test. The IIHS tested ten pickup trucks to gauge how effective their seat belt reminders were. The Tundra dominated receiving good marks, while the rest of the tested trucks left something to be desired.

So how did it pull it off? 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 IIHS tested 10 pickup trucks

The IIHS tested ten pickup trucks and found that only the 2022 Toyota Tundra had a good rating. 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.

There are five new pickup trucks that got the worst ratings the IIHS gives out. The 2022 model year Chevrolet Colorado, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Ford F-150, Ford Maverick and Ford Ranger all received poor ratings.

Pickup truck occupants don’t buckle up

It’s important that pickup trucks have these seat belt warnings in part because people who are in pickup trucks tend to not wear seat belts. 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.”

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.

Safety is important, especially as pickup trucks and other vehicles get bigger and bigger. Buckling up is an important part of being as safe as possible when out on the roads. Seat belt reminders are an important part of truck safety.