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State may require use of seat belts

Stephanie Miles

Gov. Ted Strickland proposed a new seat belt law Feb. 2 that would allow police officers to pull people over for not wearing their seat belts.

Currently in Ohio, a seat belt violation is a secondary offense, meaning police officers are allowed to cite seat belt violators only after pulling someone over for a traffic violation such as speeding or going through a red light, according to Oxford Police Department (OPD) Sgt. Jim Squance.

Strickland's Director of Communication Amanda Wurst said Ohio would be given $26.7 million in federal grant money to enhance public safety if the bill is signed before July 1.

The federal funds can only be used for infrastructure investments under the highway safety improvement program, according to a National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report.

Squance said he believes the proposed bill will be beneficial to the city.

"We're definitely for it," Squance said. "We see the effects on people involved in collisions, especially children."

Squance said that seat belt violations are up to the officer's discretion but usually those who do not comply with the law are issued a citation.

Fifty-seven percent of those killed in daytime accidents weren't wearing seat belts, according to a report from the NHTSA.

Wurst said similar actions have been taken by other states to reduce death and injury. Other Midwest states, such as Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Michigan, have a similar law in place.

Squance said occasionally OPD will observe and survey vehicle operators and passengers to tally the number of people not wearing seat belts.

"People in Oxford have a higher compliance rate than the national average," Squance said.

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Wurst said that the bill is being drafted and will be introduced in the legislature in the coming months.

She said the bill has potential to help people.

"It will save lives," Wurst said.

Giving Oxford police another tool to promote safety, Squance said he believes the proposed bill will encourage education and awareness for preventing injury from vehicle collisions.