On June 1, nine people were killed and 83 people were injured in Little Rock, Arkansas when an American Airlines jet crashed after landing, skidded sideways down the runway, and then slammed into a light tower as it left the pavement.

In 1996, a Boeing 747 exploded off Long Island, New York and all 230 passengers on board were killed. That same year, 110 people were killed when a ValuJet plunged into the Florida Everglades.

During each of these tragedies several peripheral topics remained constant. The media focused considerable attention on the tremendous loss of life and into the investigation of why the incident had occurred. The general public focused thoughts and prayers on the families of those whose lives were tragically lost, and on the search for answers as to why an event so tragic could happen.

In each of the airline disasters listed above, there was considerable attention paid to the significant loss of life, and on what could be done to prevent future incidents from occurring.

Now, focus attention on Ohio roadways and examine the tragedies taking place there. It may surprise some, and it should concern everyone, that more people died on Ohio roadways during the first half of this year than in any of the airline tragedies this nation has seen.

Through June of this year, 439 people were killed in rural traffic fatalities in Ohio. This total marked a 6.3 percent increase over the 1998 total for the same time period.

439 deaths in half of one year. Why is there not a greater search for answers? Where is the public outrage?

The bottom line is more and more people are dying every day on Ohio roadways, in largely preventable circumstances, yet very few people seem to care.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol cares. That is why state troopers work so vigorously at reducing motor vehicle speeds, getting people to buckle up, and at getting impaired drivers off the roads.

Despite an array of public education and enforcement efforts, a lack of safety belt use continues to be directly tied to motor vehicle fatalities.

Wearing a safety belt does not totally ensure safety in a motor vehicle crash. Nothing is that certain. Safety belts do, however, greatly reduce the chances of serious injury or death in the event of a motor vehicle crash.

Through May of this year, 46 percent of drivers killed in Ohio traffic crashes were not wearing safety belts at the time of the crash, while 61 percent of passengers killed were not buckled up at the time of the crash.

Despite overwhelming evidence that safety belts are the single best safety device available to motor vehicle occupants, too many are still not buckling up, and too many of those people are paying the ultimate price with their lives.

The decision whether to wear a safety belt is not just a personal decision. The decision not to buckle up definitely affects other people. Whether it is vehicle occupants ejected in a side impact collision, or approaching cars as a driver is slung to the passenger side of a car when the driver swerves to miss a deer in the roadway, choosing not to wear a safety belt affects other people.

Everyone must endure the higher insurance and medical costs as a result of motor vehicle crash injuries and deaths.

Ohio’s safety belt compliance rate affects everyone. The most recent safety belt survey indicated only a 63 percent compliance rate in Ohio.

Not only do we know safety belt compliance is a way to save lives on Ohio roadways, we also know the specific driving errors most frequently lead to serious injury and fatal crashes.

More times than not, the causative factor of a serious crash is either excessive speed or failure to yield. That is again the case with this year’s rural fatality increase.

The solution to reducing fatal crashes is actually quite a simple one, yet too many drivers are still not heeding to the old adage of driving slower and obeying the posted speed limits, buckling up, and driving sober.

Despite all the efforts of state troopers in communities throughout Ohio, they cannot be successful at keeping the roads safe without help from the motoring public. Ultimately, voluntary compliance of motor vehicle laws is the best way to make the roads safe.

You can help us by reporting dangerous drivers by calling 1-877-7-PATROL.