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Oct. 29, 2024Jefferson City, Mo. |  By: Jeremy Werner

MoDOT and others recognize 8th annual Buckle Up Phone Down Day

driving while on phone

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri is marking its 8th annual Buckle Up Phone Down Day today, a safety initiative by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, alongside partners across the state.

The campaign encourages drivers to buckle their seatbelts and put down their phones to reduce fatal accidents, aiming for zero fatalities on Missouri roads for the day.

So far this year, over 740 lives have been lost on Missouri roads, with 63 percent of vehicle occupants unbuckled at the time. Distracted driving, which led to 106 deaths last year, remains a major cause of crashes.

The recently enacted Siddens-Bening Hands-Free Law bans handheld device use while driving, with full enforcement starting January 2025.

Since 2017, Buckle Up Phone Down has raised seat belt use to record highs and collected over 55,000 pledges, spreading to more than a dozen states.

Missouri high schools are also joining in Triple-A Missouri’s Safest Driver Competition, promoting safe driving practices among teens.