COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jim Tressel have announced a new statewide campaign urging residents to buckle up every time they get in a car.
The initiative highlights the life-saving impact of seatbelts, which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates have saved more than 375,000 lives since 1975. Lt. Governor Tressel illustrated the statistic at The Ohio State University in Columbus, noting that the number of lives saved could fill Ohio Stadium four times. The campaign uses images of families and friends occupying each seat in the stadium to demonstrate that each life matters.
“Wearing a seatbelt every time you get in the car isn’t just about protecting yourself; it’s about protecting your loved ones,” Governor DeWine said. “Too many families in Ohio have been forever changed by crashes involving those not wearing seatbelts. This campaign reminds Ohioans that buckling up improves your chances of making it back to your loved ones at the end of the day.”
“Every seat in Ohio Stadium represents a life that matters — someone’s parent, child, teammate, or friend,” Lt. Governor Tressel said. “Wearing a seatbelt every time you get in the car is one of the most important things you can do. It can make the difference between getting home safely and a loss that changes a family forever.”
The campaign builds on Tressel’s previous “Hard Hitter” campaign, which used football imagery to show the force an unbelted passenger can experience in a crash. A collision at 50 mph can propel an unrestrained occupant with eight times the force of a 240-pound linebacker running at full speed.
Data from 2021–2025 shows that nearly 62% of those killed in crashes involving seatbelt-equipped vehicles were not wearing a safety belt, totaling almost 2,500 preventable deaths. Governor DeWine also noted that traffic fatalities in Ohio have declined for four consecutive years, highlighting the importance of ongoing safety efforts.
The campaign was produced in partnership between the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
For more information, visit www.buckleup.ohio.gov.
