$8.4 Million to Save 7 Unbelted Occupants a Year

According to Autoblog the NHTSA will be requiring all sliding doors to have two latches instead of one. This is to protect unbelted rear seat occupants. The latch alone will come at a cost of approximately $7 per vehicle, however, manufactures have stated that there will need to be significant costly changes made to the B pillar to accommodate the additional latch.

Just taking into account the $7 per vehicle this requirement will cost minivan manufactures $8.4 million. This is entirely too much money to spend in order to save an estimated 7 unbelted occupants a year. The money would be much better spent on a technology, advertising or enforcement that would increase seat belt usage. This would not only save lives in the event of a rollover but also protect the occupants in all other types of accidents.