Seat belts.

For the vast majority of us, putting on a seat belt when entering the car is second nature — it’s done without a thought.

But for some, apparently, the act remains optional — and that’s leading to fatal results.

In Ohio over the Fourth of July weekend, 10 people died in car crashes, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Of those 10 fatalities, six were not wearing seat belts.

The issue goes deeper. According to the Columbus Dispatch, during the Fourth of July weekend troopers issued 2,286 seat belt and child safety seat violations.

How is that possible in 2025?

Since the 1980s, Ohioans have known the law requires them to wear seat belts — and they also have known that it’s because seat belts save lives. In fact, the Buckeye State even called attention to the good that seat belts achieve by honoring members of the “Saved by the Belt” club. It is a bit of a dubious distinction. Members of that club have been involved in serious traffic accidents that often resulted in injury to those individuals or others involved in the crash. By wearing their seat belts, though, those individuals managed to survive.

The problem is not isolated to Ohio.

In West Virginia, the latest figures for seat belt use come from the end of 2024, where a 91.98% usage rate was recorded by the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program. That means 8% of West Virginians — that’s more than 100,000 people — don’t wear seat belts on a regular basis.

It’s 2025.

Decades of data is available showing seat belts save lives.

So why?

Buckle up, folks.

It’s really simple.

It saves lives.