State cracking down on seat belt usage

GROTON TWP. — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel and Ohio Department of Public Safety director Andy Wilson recently announced the launch of a new traffic safety campaign to raise awareness about how passengers who fail to buckle up threaten the safety of others traveling with them. The new Hard Hitter seat belt campaign — which will be enforced on all roads on Ohio, including the turnpike — uses football imagery to illustrate the physical impact of an unbuckled vehicle occupant on another passenger during a traffic accident. A crash at speeds of 50 mph has the potential to hurl an unrestrained occupant with eight times the force of a 240-pound linebacker running at full speed. "When you decide not to wear a seat belt, it's naive to think that the only life at risk is your own," DeWine said. "We want everyone to think about that the next time they consider staying unbuckled, especially with friends and family in the car." In 2024, the state's seat belt compliance rate was 85.2% compared to the national average of 91.2%. And, last year, 64% of people killed in Ohio traffic crashes were not wearing a seat belt when one was available, marking the fifth consecutive year that this rate was over 60%. "We hope this campaign helps Ohioans realize that buckling up is serious," Tressel said." As someone who has spent a career watching how hard linebackers can hit, being unbuckled in a crash is worse."