CLARK COUNTY — More people are dying on Ohio’s highways because they are not wearing seatbelts.
State data shows since 2019, over 60 percent of all deadly crashes were because drivers did not buckle up.
“I always wear my seatbelt,” Nathon Alexander said.
Alexander said he learned that lesson after his cousin passed away in a car accident.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said your risk of dying in a crash while buckled decreases by nearly 50 percent.
“He wasn’t wearing his seatbelt, passenger was, he died, passenger lived,” he said.
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Now Gov. Mike DeWine wants to strengthen the state’s seatbelt law, making it a primary offense.
That means an officer could pull you over if you’re not wearing one.
Paul Humphries spent 30 years in law enforcement.
He now works with the Ohio Traffic Safety Office.
“A seatbelt is the single most important thing you can do for yourself because you have 100% control over that,” Humphries said.
In the Miami Valley, Montgomery County leads the pack with around 904 crashes where people were not buckled up.
“You hate seeing that kind of destruction and that kind of injuries and everything that could have been very well prevented,” Humphries said.
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