The Ohio State Highway Patrol will focus on safety belt enforcement with the other members of the 6-State Trooper Project next week.

The initiative will last from Monday, May 23 at 12:01 a.m. until Monday, May 30 at 11:59 p.m.

“Properly using a safety belt is a simple step that has proven to save lives,” said Colonel 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.”

The safety belt law in Ohio is a secondary violation. However, there is a zero-tolerance enforcement for motorists found not wearing their seatbelts after being stopped by a trooper for other violations.

The safety belt enforcement initiative coincides with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Click It or Ticket campaign and the Operation CARE.

The 6-State Trooper Project includes state police departments from Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. The project is classified as "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," according to the release.