Ohio's annual observational seat belt survey, conducted by The Department of Public Safety’s Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) shows the statewide seat belt compliance rate dropped from 84.1% in 2021 to 80.8% in 2022 - the lowest since 2005.
OTSO is urging drivers to buckle up during the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) upcoming national Click It or Ticket high-visibility enforcement effort. The seat belt campaign, which coincides with the Memorial Day holiday, runs from May 22 to June 4, 2023. Over 900 law enforcement agencies in Ohio are encouraged to conduct seat belt enforcement to ensure the message gets out to drivers and passengers.
“We want seat belt use to be an automatic habit for drivers and passengers alike,” said Emily Davidson, OTSO executive director. “Unrestrained deaths are completely preventable. Buckling up is the simplest thing you can do to limit injury or save your life during a crash.”
In 2022, 1,275 people died in crashes in Ohio, and about 63% of those deaths were directly related to not wearing a seat belt. Ohio remains below the national seat belt use rate of 91.6%.
The state’s 2022 seat belt survey also revealed that:
- Cuyahoga County had the lowest overall compliance at 59.0%
- Guernsey County had the highest overall compliance at 84.9%
- Local roads had by far the lowest rate of compliance in the state
- Trucks had the lowest compliance rates of any vehicle type: 76.3% for heavy trucks and 77.7% for light trucks
“No matter the type of vehicle you’re driving in or the type of road you’re driving on, the best way to protect yourself in case of a crash is to wear your seat belt,” said Davidson. “Unfortunately, so many Ohio families are suffering because their loved ones refused to follow this simple step. Last year, we lost 527 Ohioans because they did not buckle their seat belts – that’s more than one per day.”
Every state is required by NHTSA to conduct a statistically valid survey of seat belt use each year. The study is an important tool to provide more targeted public information campaigns and law enforcement initiatives to increase seat belt use and help save lives throughout Ohio.
According to NHTSA, in 2021, there were 11,813 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in the United States. In that same year, 57% of passenger vehicle occupants killed at night (6 p.m.–5:59 a.m.) were not wearing their seat belts. That’s why one focus of the Click It or Ticket campaign is nighttime enforcement. Participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night.
In Ohio, a seat belt violation is considered a secondary offense, meaning law enforcement can only pull over an unbelted driver if they commit a separate primary traffic violation – such as speeding or running a red light. A seat belt citation results in a $30 fine for a driver and a $20 fine for a passenger. It’s considered a nonmoving violation, meaning a driver won’t get any points on their driving record. It will show up on a driver abstract, which means their auto insurance company could be notified about it.
Neighboring states of Indiana and Michigan, which both have primary seat belt offense laws, had seat belt compliance rates in 2021 of 92.9% and 92.6% respectively.
