Ohio's leadership just huddled up to kick off a fresh offensive against low seatbelt use with the "Hard Hitter" campaign. Building on stark stats from the Ohio Department of Public Safety (DPS), they're pushing to get more Ohioans to click that belt. Lieutenant Governor Jim Tressel and DPS Director Andy Wilson teamed up with Governor Mike DeWine in this major play.
When in a car crash, an unbuckled person can become a human projectile, a very real danger to other passengers. With somber tones, DeWine shared through the Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's official website, "When you decide not to wear a seat belt, it's naive to think that the only life at risk is your own." In an effort to basically make people better grasp the gravity, imagery of a 240-pound linebacker's impact in football terms is being used, comparing it to the force during a crash at 50 miles per hour. The goal is to fully drive up seatbelt use, which sadly, has consistently been stuck below the national average in Ohio.
In the name of saving lives, Jim Tressel, with his own experience from the sidelines, chipped in: “Wearing your seatbelt every time you get in a car saves lives,” urging Buckeyes to take seatbelt use seriously. And the numbers back him up. Data from the state's OTSO indicates that Ohio's seatbelt usage was lagging at 85.2% in 2024, a full six percent under the national average. Clearly, an issue, as last year marked the fifth straight year where over 60% of traffic fatalities in Ohio involved individuals not strapped in, as highlighted on the Governor's official website.
With that, the "Hard Hitter" campaign seems to have its work cut out. To definitively change people's mentality on safety, hoping to see fewer families and friends put at risk by someone's choice not to buckle up. It seems like a straightforward fix, but the proof will be in the percentage points as Ohio looks to finally catch up to the rest of the nation's seatbelt usage.
