The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office says it’ll be teaming up with the Ohio State Highway Patrol to tackle the seat belt problem in the county.

Sheriff’s deputies and state troopers will be highly visible during the week of the Putnam County Fair, June 21-25, to address the ongoing lack of seat belt usage in Putnam County.

So far this year, three traffic fatalities have occurred in northern Putnam County.

In each of those traffic crashes, a vehicle’s occupant was killed while not wearing a seat belt, even though a seat belt was available for use.

“We must emphasize the use of seat belts when they are available. Investigations into these crashes shows that if seat belts would have been used, the likelihood of survival is extremely high,” said Sheriff Brian Siefker.

The joint enforcement effort comes on the heels of the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign.

“We have lost three people in a matter of six weeks in Putnam County” added Lt. Tim Grigsby, Lima Post commander.

“Although there are different circumstances surrounding each crash, the common denominator is that the person who was killed was not wearing a seat belt.”

Sheriff Siefker added that seat belts are highly effective and take only seconds to put on.

“We know seat belts work. We have seen people walk away from horrific crashes with minimal injuries because they were wearing a seat belt. A few seconds can make all of the difference.”

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio State Highway Patrol are reminding all vehicle occupants to wear a properly adjusted seat belt and to have a safe week at the Putnam County Fair.