In Ohio, it’s click it or ticket — but only as a secondary offense.

Governor Mike DeWine is among those saying roads will be safer if legislators make not wearing a seat belt into a primary offense, meaning police could pull drivers over for doing it even if they are not breaking any other traffic rules. 

“Our Ohio Traffic Safety Office looked at data from surrounding states with primary seat belt laws, and they have calculated that if Ohio were to adopt a stronger seat belt law … that would, on average, save five lives each and every month,” DeWine said in his State of the State address Tuesday. 

He has long pushed for the change, but faces opposition from both sides of the aisle, with some arguing it could distract law enforcement from more important work.

“Law enforcement has a very difficult job as it is, and there's a lot of serious crimes that are out there that they need to be patrolling and adhering to and looking to get reckless drivers off the road,” said state Sen. Al Cutrona (R-33). 

Republicans in particular are concerned about government overreach — what Cutrona called the "nanny state."

“I think that you can always educate people on facts … let them make their own choices, their own informed decisions on what they choose to do.” 

State Rep. David Thomas (R-65) told 21 News he also worried for police officers’ safety if traffic stops were to increase. 

“The most issues or the most, I guess, threat to the officers occur when you are essentially pulling someone over,” Thomas said. “When you're on the side of the road as cars are running by pretty fast, and when you're walking up to a car without really any knowledge about what you might be finding, for better or worse.” 

Amongst Democrats, concerns are higher about possible discrimination and harassment against people of color. It’s a concern shared by the ACLU of Ohio, according to its legislative director, Gary Daniels. 

"The ACLU of Ohio remains opposed to a primary seat belt law because of the potential for abuse by law enforcement,” Daniels said in a statement. “More specifically, concerns such a law will be used to target minority drivers in situations when no other lawful reason to stop, question, cite, or arrest drivers otherwise exists without the primary seatbelt law providing pretext for further law enforcement actions.”

Thomas said while discrimination is “not my personal concern,” others are “valid in bringing that up as a potential issue.” 

Cutrona said the bipartisan opposition means the governor's effort is "probably dead before it starts." Even if the idea gains support, legislation isn’t likely to pass before DeWine leaves office next January. A related bill hasn't yet been introduced in the current session, which ends in December.