A seat belt reminder system that chimes for up to five minutes has an increased number of drivers buckling up, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The IIHS said the device, fitted to recently made Ford Motor Co. vehicles, increased driver belt use to 76 percent from 71 percent in a study conducted in Oklahoma. Seat belt reminders in other vehicles usually chime for no more than eight seconds when started, as mandated by the U.S. government, the Institute said. Under the Ford system, if a driver doesn’t buckle up, a light flashes and a chime sounds for six seconds followed by a 30-second pause before repeating the cycle for up to five minutes. Ford’s belt reminder system is in some 2000-model year vehicles, most 2001 models, and all of its 2002 products.
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