We hope you always wear a seat belt when you're on the move, but expect police officers to be watching extra closely over the next couple weeks as the National Seat Belt Enforcement Mobilization lasts from Monday through June 4.
In Ohio, the driver, front seat passenger and anybody under the age of 15 (regardless of where they sit) are required to use a seat belt. Indiana and Kentucky require everybody to buckle up.
How you get pulled over and the associated fines also vary by state. In Ohio, it's a secondary violation fined at $30, meaning you have to be pulled over for a separate violation before you can receive a seat belt violation. However, in Indiana and Kentucky, drivers can be pulled over simply for not fastening those seat belts and the fines are $25.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration says drivers are 75 percent less likely to be killed in a rollover crash if they are wearing a seat belt. In 2016, 431 people died in traffic crashes on Ohio’s roadways while not wearing a seatbelt; that's out of 760 total deaths according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
