DeWine wants stronger seat belt laws
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Gov. Mike DeWine wants to make it easier for police to enforce mandatory seat belt laws for drivers and passengers.
Why it matters: Most of those killed in Ohio car crashes were not wearing seat belts, state data shows, making enforcement a matter of life and death.
- There have been over 270,000 crashes involving an unbelted occupant since the beginning of 2019.
- These resulted in 2,667 unbelted fatalities, making up 61% of all crash deaths.
State of play: Under current law, all drivers and front seat passengers are required to wear a seat belt.
- In the back seat, seat belts are required for passengers between 8-15 years old and optional for those 16 and older.
- Booster seats are generally required for passengers under 8.
- Seat belts are required for all passengers if the driver has a learner's permit or probationary driver's license.
Yes, but: Seat belt violations are secondary traffic offenses, meaning law enforcement cannot pull someone over solely to issue citations for not wearing them.
- Fines are modest — $30 for a driver not wearing a seat belt, $20 for a passenger.
Driving the news: DeWine told lawmakers in his recent State of the State address he would soon pitch legislation to make these primary offenses.
- The governor previously included this change in his 2023 state budget, but lawmakers rejected it.
The other side: Republican legislative leaders are reluctant to make the change, Cleveland.com reports.
- House Speaker Jason Stephens of Kitts Hill says drivers should be personally responsible for belting up.
- Senate President Matt Huffman of Lima said one of his concerns over the proposal is the importance of "personal freedom."
The big picture: Two-thirds of states have primary seat belt laws for front seat occupants, but Ohio is an exception, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
- Seventeen of those states have primary laws for back seat occupants as well, including Indiana and Kentucky.
By the numbers: Ohio's seat belt usage rate has noticeably declined in recent years.
- Around 81% of drivers wore seat belts in 2022, far below the national rate of nearly 92%.
- This is down from 86% usage in Ohio in 2019.
Between the lines: Because of limited enforcement, Ohio sometimes records more unbelted crashes in a given day than seat belt violations, State Highway Patrol data shows.