COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A new study is showing that less people are buckling up when they get behind the wheel.
The Ohio seat belt compliance rate dropped from 84.1% in 2021 to 80.8% in 2022, according to a study conducted by the Department of Public Safety’s Ohio Traffic Safety Office. The rate is recorded to be the lowest since 2005.
This study comes as local law enforcement agencies team up with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Click It or Ticket campaign. It’s a national effort involving law enforcement to ramp up seat belt enforcement, reminding those behind the wheel and passengers to buckle up.
In 2022, 527 Ohioans were killed in traffic crashes where they were not wearing a seat belt. This marked the third year that the state’s unbelted fatality rate was above 60%.
According to the study, the state remains below the national rate of seat belt use at 91.6%. The study also showed the counties with the lowest and highest overall compliance as well. Cuyahoga County was ranked the lowest overall compliance with 59%, while Guernsey County had the highest compliance rate at 84.9%.
Franklin County also had a higher compliance rate of 82.8%.
Below, in ascending order of compliance, are a handful of central Ohio counties, with their percentage of compliance and the number of drivers surveyed in that county.
- Ross County 74.1%, 197
- Perry County 75.6%, 669
- Fayette County 76.5%, 115
- Hocking County 76.6%, 128
- Pickaway County 77.0%, 74
- Madison County 78.4%, 199
- Licking County 79.9%, 278
- Franklin County 82.8%, 58
- Coshocton County 83.7%, 264
- Scioto County 84.8%, 164
- Guernsey County 84.9%, 126
- Muskingum County 87.9%, 272
- Athens County 87.4%, 231
- Fairfield County 89.1%, 348
- Hardin County 90.0%, 40
- Pike County 92.3%, 194
- Hamilton County 92.3%, 571
- Marion County 92.4%, 118
- Union County 92.9%, 269
- Knox County 93.3%, 150
- Wyandot County 94.1%, 85
- Morrow County 95.6%, 316
- Richland County 96.0%, 354
- Delaware County 96.6%, 502
- Crawford County 97.0%, 202
- Vinton County 100.0%, 4
When it came to vehicle and compliance rates, the study found that trucks had the lowest compliance rate of any vehicle, coming in at 76.3% for heavy trucks and 77.7% for light trucks.
A seat belt violation in Ohio is considered a secondary offense where officers can only pull over a driver who isn’t wearing a seat belt if they commit a separate primary violation, which could be speeding or running a red light, according to the release.
For more information on the 2022 study, click here.