With summer driving season beginning during the long holiday weekend, Chevrolet is adding another level of safety for teen drivers.  They’re introducing their Buckle to Drive feature.  It works when Teen Driver mode is activated.  When the vehicle is on and the driver’s seat belt is not buckled, the driver will not be able to shift out of park for up to 20 seconds. Pressing the brake pedal will trigger a reminder with an audible alert and a message in the driver information center saying “Buckle seat belt to shift.” This is the latest addition to Chevrolet’s Teen Driver system introduced in 2015.

Why the need for this?  Chevrolet sights the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as saying buckling your seat belt is the best way drivers can protect themselves in a crash.  They also point to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saying teens are among the drivers who use seat belts the least, and most teenagers involved in fatal crashes are not buckled up.

Chevrolet’s Teen Driver system with the Buckle to Drive feature will be standard on the 2020 Chevrolet Traverse, Malibu and Colorado when they begin arriving this summer.