CLEVELAND, Ohio - Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today announced the launch of a new traffic safety corridor focused on increasing seat belt usage and reducing speed-related crashes on a dangerous eight-mile stretch of I-90 in Cuyahoga County. 

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP), Cuyahoga County is the top county in the state for speed-related and unbelted crashes, including many on the eight miles of I-90 between East 55th Street and East 260th Street. Since 2021, approximately one-third of all crashes on this stretch of I-90 involved motorists who were not wearing an available seat belt. 

Through a new partnership between OSHP, the Ohio Department of Transportation, Cleveland Police Department, Euclid Police Department, and Bratenahl Police Department, this stretch of interstate has now been designated as the state's first Speed & Seat Belt Safety Corridor. An increased number of troopers and officers will patrol this zone and have no tolerance for those who violate speeding and seat belt laws.

"Officers and troopers are constantly encountering drivers on this section of I-90 who are driving recklessly with no care for their own safety or the safety of others," said Governor DeWine. "We're giving this stretch of I-90 extra attention because many of the fatal and severe-injury crashes here could have been prevented with lower speeds and seat belts."

Since 2021, a total of 413 crashes within the newly designated Speed & Seat Belt Safety Corridor have involved excessive speed. Troopers have issued 458 speeding violations and 717 seat belt violations.

“The frequency and severity of crashes occurring in Cuyahoga County, many of which are preventable, necessitated a strategic approach to making this corridor safer,” said Colonel Charles A. Jones, Patrol superintendent. “I'm appreciative for the collaboration to make speed reduction and seat belt usage on I-90 a priority.” 

ODOT has installed multiple road signs along the corridor to notify motorists about the increased law enforcement presence on I-90 and remind them to obey the speed limit and buckle up. Four of these signs will include a digital counter displaying the number of days since the last serious crash.  

“This corridor is about educating motorists on the importance of obeying speed limits and buckling up,” said ODOT District 12 Deputy Director John Picuri. “Our engineers are focused on designing and building safe roads, but speeding and the lack of seat belt usage counteract those efforts.”  

In Ohio, all drivers and front seat passengers are required to wear a seat belt, but according to OSHP, 62% of statewide fatal crashes since 2021 involved the death of an unbelted motorist. Ohio's 2023 Observational Survey of Seat Belt Use found that approximately 84% of drivers and passengers statewide buckle up, which is less than the national average. In Cuyahoga County, only around 72% of drivers and passengers choose to wear a seat belt.

Failing to wear a seat belt is currently a secondary traffic violation, which means that law enforcement cannot stop a driver solely for not buckling up. During Governor DeWine's State of the State address in March, he stressed the need for a primary seat belt law to allow law enforcement to immediately stop drivers who are not wearing a seat belt. 

"It's not about issuing tickets, it's about saving lives," said Governor DeWine. "By buckling up, you are much more likely to survive a car crash or walk away with minor injuries."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45% and the risk of moderate to critical injury by 50%.