Columbus, Ohio – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jim Tressel have launched a powerful new seatbelt awareness campaign, calling attention to the critical importance of buckling up every time someone gets in a vehicle. The initiative, backed by compelling imagery and emotional appeals, highlights just how many lives seatbelts can save — and how many are still being lost unnecessarily.
Visualizing the Impact Through Ohio Stadium
The campaign takes a creative approach to emphasize the value of seatbelt use by filling the seats of Ohio Stadium — home to The Ohio State University’s football team — with photos of people representing mothers, fathers, children, friends, and teammates. The visual metaphor is striking, showing just how many lives seatbelts have saved since 1975.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 375,000 lives have been saved by seatbelts since 1975. Lt. Governor Tressel explains that this number could “fill up Ohio Stadium four times,” making the point that every individual in each of those seats is someone’s loved one.
“Wearing a seatbelt every time you get in the car isn’t just about protecting yourself; it’s about protecting your loved ones,” said Governor DeWine. “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.”
Lt. Governor Tressel echoed the sentiment: “Every seat in Ohio Stadium represents a life that matters — someone’s parent, child, teammate, or friend. 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.”
Building on the “Hard Hitter” Message
This new effort builds on Lt. Governor Tressel’s earlier “Hard Hitter” campaign, which used football comparisons to demonstrate the force of unbuckled passengers during a crash. According to that campaign, a crash at just 50 miles per hour can hurl an unrestrained person with the force of eight 240-pound linebackers colliding simultaneously. The vivid imagery and relatable sports comparison help bring the danger into sharper focus for Ohio drivers.
The Urgency Remains Despite Progress
Governor DeWine also recently shared positive news — traffic fatalities in Ohio have declined for the fourth straight year. But the statistics still show an alarming trend: from 2021 to 2025, nearly 62% of people who died in crashes involving seatbelt-equipped vehicles were not wearing their seatbelts. That equates to about 2,500 avoidable deaths in just four years.
The goal of the new campaign is to close that gap and drive home a simple but lifesaving message: buckle up.
Partnership for Prevention
The campaign was developed in collaboration between the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio Department of Public Safety, combining resources and messaging expertise to reach as many Ohioans as possible.
To learn more about the campaign or to access resources on seatbelt safety, residents can visit www.buckleup.ohio.gov.
