COLUMBUS – Law enforcement, transportation and safety officials are using the first big travel weekend of the summer to remind motorists to fasten safety belts and make sure all of their passengers do the same.
The “Click It or Ticket” campaign began May 23 and continues through June 6.
Memorial Day Weekend was the second-deadliest of all major holidays on Ohio roads between 2010 and 2014 and officials say many of those deaths could have been prevented if drivers and passengers wore seat belts.
”Unfortunately, as a state, we rank high in the number of unbelted traffic deaths,” said Ohio Department of Transportation director Jerry Wray. “Ohio’s seat belt use rate is about 84 percent, lower than surrounding states.”
So far this year, Ohio has recorded 340 traffic deaths, 107 involving people not wearing a seatbelt.
In Franklin County, 27 unbelted vehicle occupants died in 2015, according to Columbus Public Health.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, lap and shoulder belts reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passengers by 45 percent and the risk of moderate to serious injuries by 50 percent.