COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)– The proposed seat belt law being pushed at the Ohio Statehouse by Governor Mike DeWine and others would allow law enforcement officers to pull drivers over and ticket them for not wearing their seat belts.

It is proven that seat belts save lives in crashes, and if passed, the seat belt law could also save people money. “Unbelted crashes in the United States cost $78.5 billion a year,” said President & CEO of the Ohio Insurance Institute Dean Fadel. “Ohio’s portion of that is about $2.8 billion a year.”

We all pay for that, Fadel explained, in the form of insurance premiums, medical costs, first responders and the resources they expend, as well as in lack of economic productivity while people are stuck in congestion during crash cleanup.

Currently, Ohio is seeing a historic high of non-usage of seatbelts. “Right now, we’re at about 80-81% of our drivers in Ohio wearing their seat belts. It’s about 20% don’t,” Fadel said. “That is of concern.”

That’s something insurance companies look at when determining rates in a state. Of which we have seen unprecedented increases recently. Fadel says if the bill were to become law, it would help.

“If fewer people die and costs go down, then consumers will benefit– more money in consumers’ pockets,” he said. “The rates won’t go up as much or they [could] come down.”

What is not unprecedented is the legislation itself. Ohio is in the minority as just one of 15 states, where police have to pull you over for another violation, before handing out a ticket for not buckling up.