MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL
A Division Of The
Department of Public Safety
Public Information and Education Division - PO Box 568 - Jefferson City, MO 65102
NEWS RELEASE

For further information, please contact: Capt. John J. Hotz
Q10202017 (573) 526-6115

October 20, 2017
EMPHASIS: Missourians Challenged To Buckle Up & Put Their Phones Down


Colonel Sandra K. Karsten, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, would like to stress the importance of using a seat belt and putting down a cell phone every time you drive. Thus, the Patrol is joining the Missouri Department of Transportation and the Coalition for Roadway Safety in challenging Missourians to be better, safer drivers through the Buckle Up/Phone Down campaign. Friday, October 20, 2017 is Buckle Up/Phone Down Day in Missouri. Always buckle up and consistently put your phone down when you’re driving.

Distracted driving is a leading cause of crashes in the United States and Missouri. Troopers have long promoted the importance of paying attention when driving and realizing that driving is a full-time job. Traffic crashes could be reduced if people would simply put down their phones while driving. According to the American Automobile Association, texting increases the probability of a traffic crash by 50 percent.

So, how are the two independent actions of wearing a seat belt and putting down your cell phone related? Drivers can only control their own actions. Sometimes, the most attentive driver is involved in a crash caused by another driver. Wearing a seat belt every time you enter a vehicle protects you in the event you are in a traffic crash. Preliminary data in 2016 indicates cell phones were contributing circumstances in 2,385 crashes ─ a 23 percent increase from 2014.

The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety reports that unbelted drivers had a 1 in 30 chance of being killed in a crash while belted drivers have only a 1 in 1,237 chance. (Based on 2015 reported crashes in Missouri.)

Parents, did you know the leading cause of death for teens is car crashes? Drivers under the age of 21 comprise 8 percent of the licensed drivers in the state, but were involved in 20 percent of the traffic crashes over the last three years. Teens are involved in three times as many fatal traffic crashes as other drivers. Only 70 percent of teens buckle up. Under Missouri’s Graduated License Law, intermediate drivers and all passengers must wear safety belts.

The statistics have led the Patrol to join MoDOT and the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety to join together and challenge every driver to buckle up and put their phones down. Business managers are encouraged to make wearing a seat belt and putting a cell phone down while driving company policy, and private citizens are urged to accept the Buckle Up/Phone Down Challenge.

Visit the Buckle Up/Phone Down Challenge web page for more information http://www.modot.org/BuckleUpPhoneDown/.


Won’t you do your part to help increase safety on Missouri’s roadways?


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