South Euclid enforces new seatbelt law, not wearing seatbelt primary offense

SOUTH EUCLID, OHIO - Under Ohio law, police can give you a ticket for not wearing your seatbelt, but only if you are pulled over for something else.

But now, one local city is giving police the right to stop you for not wearing your seatbelt, making it a primary offense.

A seatbelt ticket in South Euclid will cost the driver $109 and $99 for passengers. Unlike speeding tickets, South Euclid gets none of the seatbelt money, it all goes to the state.

The goal is to make the roads and people safer. South Euclid had seven fatal car accidents in five years.

Since banning hand-held cell phones while driving two years ago, there have been no fatal accidents.

So now, to cut down on injuries even more, South Euclid Police started enforcing a new seatbelt law Friday. Police who observe people not wearing seatbelts, started pulling drivers over and writing tickets just after midnight when the law went into effect.

As South Euclid police officer Bob Abele patrolled busy Mayfield Road, he said the state average for using seatbelts is 84 percent, but a survey in South Euclid showed it's only 60 percent.

"We're hoping that if someone drives through South Euclid and puts their seatbelt on then gets in a crash on the highway it will save their life,” Adele said.

If you put the seatbelt on while you're being pulled over, you will still be ticketed. A seatbelt ticket does not put points on your driving record.

Orange made seatbelt violations a primary offense two years ago and now more cities are looking into doing the same thing.