Vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death of individuals ages 5 to 29 in Ohio, according to a recent report by the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

This is one statistic that the Bowling Green Police Division will be working to change — with help from a $9,720 grant given by ODPS.

“It’s been proven that seatbelts reduce death and severity of vehicle crashes,” Maj. Gary Spencer, Deputy Chief of the Bowling Green Police Division, said. “We’re trying to take baby steps to get more people to wear their seatbelts.”

These steps include paying for overtime costs during heavy traffic periods–including February, which is Seatbelt Awareness Month, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day–to enforce seatbelt compliance.

Upcoming activity in February will fill one of the requirements for the reimbursement grant.

Bowling Green, along with any other city or county receiving this grant is required to submit a report to ODPS detailing what they did to increase seatbelt awareness. After review, participants will then be paid for the cost of the program.

“The grant will help in being able to get the word out that people need to wear their seatbelts,” Spencer said. “The publicity itself will let people know just how important seatbelts are.”

Catching seatbelt violators in the act, however, is more difficult in Ohio than other states–including Michigan–who list seatbelt violations as a primary offense.

“I can’t stop you just because you don’t have your seatbelt on,” Spencer said. “You have to be violating some other traffic laws.” According to Spencer, seatbelt compliance is not a problem just with the local student population.

“There is a problem with seatbelt compliance across the board,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is to get more people to comply by wearing their seatbelts.”

Last spring, Bowling Green Police Division conducted a seatbelt survey in which officers set at various locations around the city to count the number of cars with people wearing their seatbelts.

According to the results of the survey, it is estimated that 60% of drivers in Bowling Green wear their seatbelts.

“We based our grant application on those figures and we’re trying to increase compliance by 2 to 3 percent,” Spencer said. Bowling Green is only one city within 26 Ohio counties who are reported to reflect 70% of crashes who applied and received this grant–many more are expected to follow suit.

“This funding reflects a federal priority and is in place in hopes of reducing fatal crashes and fatalities,” Jeff Grayson, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Public Safety, said. “The main focus being trying to change the behavior of drivers and the overall goal is saving lives.”