President Trump, How About An Executive Order Ending All the Silly Car Chimes? Do We Really Need All These Safety Nannies Beeping and Buzzing At Us Non-Stop?

Safety chimes, buzzes, bongs, beeps, and ding-dongs have their place. Ideally, you’d only hear one if there was a real problem in need of attention. However, the reality in a modern car is that the things beep, buzz, and chime at us from the time we get in until we are well away. President Trump is all about taking the 80 side in 80-20 issues. This is one he should jump on right away.

Oldy But Goody Story: New car features that will drive you crazy

Let’s Start With Common Sense Seatbelt Chimes
Should your seatbelt alarm be ringing when your car is in Park? If so, please justify the sense that makes in our comments section. I’m a lifelong seatbelt wearer, and I won’t occupy a vehicle with anyone unbelted. It’s stupid and unsafe to operate a vehicle with unbelted occupants in any seat. That’s why I think seatbelt chimes should be backed up by a limp mode if the vehicle is operated without every occupant safely belted securely. But what does that have to do with a “Bing bong, BING BONG!” alarm sounding when the vehicle is in Park with the parking brake on? Nothing at all.

Seatbelt chimes are mandated by the federal government. Which is funny since actually wearing a seatbelt is not. I test a new car every week (and I am grateful for every one that comes). No two are the same. Some have an angry seatbelt chime, some super annoying. One thing about seatbelt chimes in my cars is universal. They are worthless. I ALWAYS wear my belt while driving, yet I often hear a seatbelt chime. Why? 

The reason we ignore these chimes is that the folks who work in this arena want you to belt up so badly that they jump the gun. That makes the belt warning something you ignore out of habit. That makes the chime worthless. Worse, it adds to the constant berating we all hear from our cars in almost routine situations.

Brad O. posted in the Facebook Lexus RC club this past week, “230. That's the number of times our seat belt chime will sound. You’re welcome.” A fellow member posted in support, “That’s 228 times too many.” One member, Anthony, posted a comment in support of our point. He said, “I don’t even hear them anymore. Completely blocked out.”

People Are Asking How to Shut Off Seatbelt Chimes
In the Facebook Toyota Tundra owners’ club, member Chris M. asks, “Hey all. Just picked up a 2025 limited TRD. Does anyone know how to turn off the seatbelt chime?” In a popular Subaru Club, Member Jesi L laments the following:

Why the (swear word here) does the seatbelt chime so loudly when I’ve clearly parked? Is there something I can do to shut that off? It’s extremely annoying since I tend to sit in my car for a few minutes before I get out. For instance, getting the mail. Put it in Park, take my seatbelt off and jump out, get back in, back up into a spot. Put it in Park. The chime is so obnoxiously loud still and does not turn off.

In the Chevy Equinox Club, member Brandon T asks:

Does anyone know where to turn down the volume or turn off the chime? Yes, I wear a seatbelt. I have a habit of backing up in my driveway in the morning while putting it on, and the thing is way too loud.

Would This Solution Work?
How about a more logical approach to seatbelt chimes? Perhaps no chime at all, but if your car is rolling faster than 15 miles per hour for more than 5 minutes, your insurer gets an email and has the option to charge you double? Or, if you live in a state that mandates seatbelt usage, your DMV gets an email from the car and can fine you, say, $10,000? I really don’t care. I always wear my seatbelt. I just want to be able to back out of my garage without the thing on and not have to hear the chimes. Or maybe move my cars around my property without a constant squawk. I can decide how to operate my vehicle safely. Give me an opt-out button for seatbelt chimes if I’m not moving faster than 15 MPH for more than five minutes. Fair?

Related Story: I Have A New Chevy Silverado, and This Thing Says ‘Buckle to Shift,’ I Have to Buckle My Seat Belt in Order to Shift Out of Park

How About A Single Button To Silence All Beeps And Buzzes?

• There are now endless beeps and chimes to warn you against some impending tragedy. These include:
• Drowsiness Warning
• Rear Seat Occupant Check
• A Door Is Ajar
• You Walked Away With the Car Running
• You Left Your Lights On
• Blindspot Warning
• Lane Departure Warning
• Parking Sensor Warning
• Approaching a Vehicle Too Quickly
• You Are Driving An EV Or Hybrid At Low Speeds
• You Are Backing Up a Hybrid Or EV

There are many more. Most of these things are not illegal. Many are not unsafe in certain circumstances. For example, you are on a two-lane road with a center line. You see a neighbor walking a dog on the road. You move over to give them space. “BEEP BEEP BEEP!” Should you have run over them? No, but you are still chastised by the beep nannies. So you learn to tune that warning out. Here’s another example. You have no young children. Yet, you get the “check rear seat” bing when your teen exits. So you tune that warning out. Eventually, you habitually ignore any beep, bing, bong, or buzz that squawks at you because they are worthless. Nothing ever really happens. 

Most of these safety nannies (not all) can be quieted using the infotainment screen, about seven taps and touches, two back button actuations, and three taps on “I agree.” Can we just have a single red “Shut Everything Up” button? Why not? It’s your car, right?

The final straw may be hybrid and EV humming. If the idea is that we are all going to be driving hybrids and EVs, are we going to have to listen to 283 million of them humming the Star Trek warp-speed sound at us? Won’t we then just learn to ignore that sound entirely, defeating the purpose of the warning sound?

President Trump could executive order these nonsensical warnings away. A judge would then block it, but maybe after the dust settles, we’d be left with some sane compromise.

If you think the safety nannie warnings have gone too far, tell us in the comments below. 

Would you like to live in peace without a seatbelt warning blaring at you when the car is not moving? Tell us you are out there!

John Goreham is a credentialed New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on Linkedin and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ grammar and punctuation software when proofreading and he also uses image generation tools.