Missouri Seat Belt Laws

Missouri requires that all occupants of a motor vehicle be properly restrained, yet Missourians continue to fail to buckle up.  When involved in a motor vehicle crash with a seat belt, the occupants statistically suffer more serious injuries or death. Too many lives are lost each year in fatal motor vehicle crashes.

Seat Belt Usage and Fatal Motor Vehicle Crashes

The National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) is the only survey that provides nationwide probability-based observed data on seat belt use in the U.S., and is used by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Seat belt use has shown an increase in use trend since 2000, accompanied by a steady decline in the unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants killed during the daytime. Seat belt use across the U.S. is about 90.1 percent, however, in the Midwest, it remains about 85.5 percent. Missouri specifically, falls behind the national average for seat belt usage.  For front seat passengers specifically, front seat passengers have a national average of 86 percent, but in Missouri the rate is only 79%.  Missouri and other Midwest states drag down the national average despite seat belt laws, education and public awareness campaigns.

Motor Vehicle Crash Facts and Seat Belts

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death during the first three decades of Americans' lives.
• By wearing seat belts and properly buckling children into age and size-appropriate car seats and booster seats, please can reduce the risk of serious injury and death in a crash by half.
• Although most drivers in the U.S. follow these safety rules on every trip, there are still Millions who do not.
• Seat belts keep occupants in the vehicle and it is statistically safer to remain in the vehicle than to be ejected

Buckle Up for Safer Summer Travel

As Memorial Day weekend is almost upon us, the practice of using your seat belt is one of the most proactive safety things you can do.  Across the country, we know that seat belt usage has a dramatic impact on survival rates of those persons involved in a motor vehicle crash.  In a scenario where the car flips, a person who is not buckled up can be thrown from the vehicle.  Statically, you are much more likely to survive a car crash if you remain in the car. Once someone is ejected from the car, the injuries are always severe if not deadly.

If You Have Been Involved in a Motor Vehicle Crash

If you've been hurt in car crash that was not your fault, you will need legal help.   Unless you deal with insurance companies for a living in the way that an attorney does, you are not equipped. Insurance companies simply deal with represented individuals differently.  Representing injured car crash victims is what we do. You may not know if you need an attorney and that we can help you decide.  Since it's free and confidential to call, it is silly to not take advantage of a free consultation to see if you are in a situation where you need legal help. Get the information right away.

Call us seven days a week so we can answer your questions, locally 314.276.1681 or toll free 1.800.685.3302