SOUTH POINT — A Flatwoods, Kentucky woman has joined Ohio’s “Saved by the Belt” club.

At a ceremony at the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Ironton Post, Kayla D. Clark was presented with a “Saved by the Belt” Club certificate on Tuesday after her safety belt saved her from sustaining life-threatening injuries during an Oct. 17 accident on State Route 93 in Lawrence County.

Ironton Post commander Lt. Nick Lunsford presented her with the certificate, which was signed by Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Thomas J. Stickrath and OSHP superintendent Col. Richard S. Fambro. She also received a “Saved by the Belt” license plate bracket.

“Kayla is a living testimony to the effectiveness of safety belts,” Lunsford said. “Everyone needs to buckle up every trip, every time.”

Provisional data from 2019 shows 457 people in Ohio were killed in traffic crashes when a safety belt was available, but not in use.

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.