Two Ironton residents were at the Ohio State Highway Patrol last week, not because they were in trouble but because their lives were saved by their cars safety belts.

Ironton residents Michael A. Gleichauf and Maximus Gleichauf joined Ohio’s “Saved by the Belt” Club on March 27 after their safety belts saved them from sustaining life-threatening injuries after they were involved in a crash on State Route 243 on April 5.

Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Nick Lunsford, the Ironton Post commander, presented them with “Saved by the Belt” certificates signed by Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Thomas J. Stickrath and Colonel Richard S. Fambro, the OSHP superintendent. They also received a “Saved by the Belt” license plate bracket.

“Michael and Maximus are a living testimony to the effectiveness of safety belts,” Lunsford said. “Everyone needs to buckle up every trip, every time.”

Provisional data from 2021 shows 565 people in Ohio were killed in traffic crashes where a safety belt was available, but not in use. For up-to-date statistics and information on safety belts, log onto the Patrol’s Safety Belt Dashboard at https://www.safetybeltdashboard.ohio.gov/.

The “Saved by the Belt” Club is a joint effort by the Ohio Department of Public Safety and more than 400 Ohio law enforcement agencies. This club is designed to recognize people who have benefited from their decision to wear safety belts.