Modern cars are designed with a host of safety features intended to ensure the well-being of the driver and their passengers.
However, some drivers report that these safety features can occasionally do more harm than good. For example, one Kia driver recalled how her car’s automatic braking caused her car to come to a stop at unsafe times. Another Toyota driver complained that their car’s lane assist misidentifies road reflectors as lines, leading to potential issues while driving.
Now, a user on TikTok says that there’s a safety feature on the new Chevy Silverado that some drivers may find suspect.
Why couldn’t this Chevrolet driver shift into gear?
In a video with over 345,000 views, TikTok user Rico Watkins (@ricowatkins215) shows himself sitting in the driver’s seat of a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado.
“Brand new Silverado, and this thing says ‘Buckle to shift,’” he starts. He then demonstrates that he is unable to put the car in gear. “That’s crazy.”
After putting on his seatbelt, the car is able to start.
What’s this new Chevrolet safety feature?
While Watkins may have been surprised by this feature, this is something that General Motors said they were going to implement in their cars since 2021.
An article from The Drive in August 2021 details how the company planned on installing the feature in some of their new cars. The rollout of that feature expanded to other new vehicles over time.
That said, if one finds this annoying, the feature can be turned off in most cases.
“Buckle to Drive can be turned off through the Settings menu on the infotainment screen; go to Settings > Vehicle > Buckle to Drive,” reads an article in GM-Techlink. However, “for some fleet vehicles, Buckle to Drive will always be on and cannot be turned off.”
However, one might want to consider leaving the feature activated, as a study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that doing so tends to increase seat belt usage.
@ricowatkins215 brand new 2024 Chevy Silverado truck message on dash says buckle seat belt to shift out of park 😂 #fyp #f #chevytrucks #silverado #buckleup ♬ original sound – Rico Watkins215
Commenters aren’t thrilled
While the feature may increase driver safety, some commenters were unhappy with the implementation of the seat belt/ignition interlock.
“That’s as far into the test drive as I would have gotten,” wrote a user.
“Fine for long drives, annoying when you have to move the car 10 feet,” added another.
“That would suck when hooking a trailer up,” stated a third.
The Daily Dot reached out to Chevrolet via email and Watkins via TikTok DM and comment.
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