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Kentucky launches 12-month "High Five" seat-belt pilot in Montgomery County with local enforcement funding
Summary
The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety and Montgomery County officials announced a 12-month "High Five" program to raise rural seat-belt use, awarding $10,000 each to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and a Kentucky State Police post for coordinated enforcement, education and engineering.
Ryan Fiser, executive director of the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety, announced a 12-month rural "High Five" seat-belt initiative aimed at boosting seat-belt use and preventing serious-injury and fatal crashes in Montgomery County.
"It is an honor to be here today to discuss a rural High Five seat-belt initiative," Fiser said, describing the program as a data-driven, multidisciplinary effort using the three E’s: enforcement, education and engineering. The state is providing $10,000 to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and $10,000 to a Kentucky State Police post to support local implementation.
The program grew from a 2023 pilot in Montgomery County and relies on locally targeted enforcement paired with public education. Kim Elliot, a researcher evaluating the High Five program, said evaluators conduct pre- and post-observational surveys to measure outcomes. "Seat belt usage ranges from the high 70% range up to nearly 90%. This means there is room for improvement, especially among those least likely to be restrained," Elliot said.
Sheriff David Charles said the grant supplies tools needed for local outreach and enforcement. "I'm a living testament today why it's important to wear your seat belt," Charles said, urging drivers to buckle up and avoid distracted driving.
Trooper David Jones of the Kentucky State Police emphasized education in the campaign and cited a statewide statistic to underline the need for action. "Every year in the state of Kentucky, right at 50% of people killed in crashes were not wearing their seat belt," Jones said, and he urged parents to ensure children are properly secured and drivers in pickup trucks to buckle up.
Officials said the High Five model uses data to identify locations where targeted efforts are likely to have the greatest effect. Elliot said baseline observational surveys were completed in nine High Five counties and that the initiative compares results against control locations to estimate its impact.
Fiser framed the initiative as a state-local partnership intended to reduce serious crashes and fatalities: "The ultimate goal is for Montgomery County to increase their seat-belt usage rate and have zero fatal crashes and serious injury crashes on Montgomery County roads." The event ended with photos; no formal vote or policy action was taken at the announcement.
