COLUMBUS – The Ohio State Highway Patrol will be joining forces with other members of the 6-State Trooper Project to focus on safety belt enforcement. The initiative begins on Monday, May 23, at 12:01 a.m. and will continue through Monday, May 30, at 11:59 p.m.

The high-visibility enforcement will include the Indiana State Police, Kentucky State Police, Michigan State Police, Pennsylvania State Police and the West Virginia State Police, as well as OSHP.

This effort coincides with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Click It or Ticket campaign as well as Operation CARE.

“Properly using a safety belt is a simple step that has proven to save lives,” said Col. Richard S. Fambro, Patrol superintendent. “Motorists must commit to buckling up every trip, every time, so they are protected if they are involved in a crash.”

Ohio’s safety belt law remains a secondary violation; however, troopers will continue zero-tolerance enforcement when motorists are stopped for other violations and are found to not be wearing their safety belt.

The 6-State Trooper Project is a multi-state law enforcement partnership aimed at providing combined and coordinated law enforcement and security services in the areas of highway safety, criminal patrol and intelligence sharing.