OSHP starts campaign urging seat-belt use by drivers

NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio State Highway Patrol has begun a campaign urging motorists to wear their seat belts.

The patrol says troopers will be encouraging drivers to “buckle up” to save lives.

A statement released by the patrol this week says Ohio’s observed seat-belt usage rate was 84.9 percent in 2018, while the national average rate was 89.6 percent.

The patrol also says 1,326 people in Ohio who were not wearing an available seat belt while in motor vehicles were killed in crashes from 2016 through 2018. A total of 121,019 people in Ohio in 2018 were convicted of driving or riding in a passenger vehicle without wearing a seat belt.

The patrol says its Click it or Ticket campaign, which began Monday, will continue until June 2.