DeWine wants stronger seat belt laws in Ohio

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 .