DeWine pushes new Ohio seat belt law — what it means for drivers

Columbus (WJW) – Governor Mike DeWine promote new and stricter seat belt laws in Ohio That would give police the power to stop cars, and drivers could be severely ticketed for not wearing one.

Under current state law, failure to wear a seat belt is a secondary crime. This means that before you can be charged with not wearing a seatbelt, you will have to be pulled over for another violation, such as speeding.

“To me, that part is fair, because you're being pulled over for a reason, and if you're not wearing one, you should be wearing one. I'm fine with that,” said Ohio driver Brandon Baxter. Ta. .

Governor DeWine proposed major seat belt legislation during his April 10 State of the State address.

The governor maintains that the ordinance, if approved, will help stem the alarming trend.

“Ohio is 10th from the bottom in seatbelt usage rate, and 10th from the bottom among all states.The national average seatbelt usage rate is 91%, but Ohio's figure is only 81%.'' he said.

Among the alarming numbers cited by the state: In 2022 alone, 527 people who were not wearing seatbelts died in car crashes in the state, more than 60% of the total number of fatal crashes that year. occupies .

Supporters of the seat belt law say it will act as a deterrent and save lives.

They compare the proposal to the state's distracted driving law, which makes using a cell phone while driving a primary crime.

“If people had taken the time to wear their seat belts, the people who were killed last year would still be walking the earth today,” said Andy Wilson, director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

But some state lawmakers and drivers are already sounding the alarm about the proposed major seat belt law, questioning the fairness of enforcement and the violation of personal liberties.

“The people who try to get these tickets, the people who are stopped the most, are the ones who are the least able to pay their bills. I have some misgivings about this, but the Senate We're going to wait and see what happens,' people have to say,'' said Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima).

When asked how Ohioans would react if the proposal became law, Brandon Baxter said, “There's a lot of people screaming about rights. One of those things might raise a lot of eyebrows. I can't do it,” he said.

https://fox8.com/news/dewine-pushes-for-new-ohio-seat-belt-law-what-it-would-mean-for-drivers/ DeWine pushes new Ohio seat belt law — what it means for drivers