MoDOT and Safety Partners Promote Buckle Up Phone Down Day

JEFFERSON CITY - For the eighth year, the Missouri Department of Transportation and the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, along with various safety partners, schools and businesses throughout the state, are encouraging better driving behaviors as part of the annual Buckle Up Phone Down Day on October 30. The day challenges all drivers to do the two most important steps while driving to reduce your risk of a fatal crash. The goal of BUPD Day is to have zero traffic fatalities on Missouri roads throughout the day.

To date in 2024, of the more than 740 fatalities in Missouri, 63% of vehicle occupants killed were unbuckled. Distracted driving is also a leading cause of crashes in Missouri. In 2023, distracted driving was cited in crashes that claimed 106 lives.

In August 2023, the Siddens-Bening Hands-Free Law took effect in Missouri, prohibiting all drivers from using a handheld electronic communication device while driving. The law aims to address distracted driving, which contributed to crashes that claimed the lives of more than 800 people across the state during the last decade. Paired with the requirement to wear a seat belt, the enactment of the hands-free legislation means BUPD is officially law in Missouri. Additionally, the Missouri State Highway Patrol has been educating drivers on the new law for the past year, and law enforcement agencies throughout the state will begin writing citations for driving distracted beginning January 1, 2025.

Since the creation of BUPD in 2017, Missouri's seat belt usage rate reached an all-time high and the number of people killed who were unbuckled has decreased. The movement has collected more than 55,000 pledges to BUPD and has expanded to more than a dozen states across the country.

"We are very proud of the impact of the Buckle Up Phone Down program, but there is still a lot of work to be done to eliminate fatalities from our roadways," said Missouri State Highway Safety and Traffic Engineer Jon Nelson. "We are asking everyone to do their part on this BUPD Day. Buckle up and put the phone down. Lives are on the line."

In support of the hands-free law, many Missouri high schools are participating in AAA Missouri's Show Me Your Score Safest Driver Competition. This competition will be held through the end of February 2025, and will measure participant's acceleration, braking, and phone usage habits. The goal of this competition is to promote positive driving habits and educate young drivers on how crucial it is to make smart, safe decisions behind the wheel, especially putting down the phone. More information on the competition is available at www.savemolives.com/mcrs/smys.

"Every single driver plays a role in combatting the safety crisis happening on our roads," said Nelson. "The Safest Driver Competition is a great step in educating the next generation of drivers to make the right decisions behind the wheel. It's important to be mindful of the shared responsibility we have to each other every time we hit the road."

Drivers can accept the challenge to BUPD at modot.org/bupd and spread the word on social media using the hashtags #BUPD and #BUPDDay.

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For more information, call MoDOT at 888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636) or visit www.modot.org. To receive the latest statewide news and text alerts, signup for e-updates.

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