Missouri seat belt use less than national average

The study states 77 percent of Missourians wear seat belts.

By Alicia Stice

Published Oct. 16, 2009

A recent study states the amount of Missouri residents wearing seat belts is less than the national average, Boone County Fire Protection District Chief Gale Blomenkamp said.

According to a Missouri Department of Transportation news release, 489 people killed in Missouri traffic crashes were not wearing seat belts in 2008.

In a recent seat belt safety incident several weeks ago in Boone County, a woman was ejected from her convertible after a head-on collision. Blomenkamp said she was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.

Because her injuries resulted from the initial collision as well as being thrown from the car, it is impossible to determine how her injuries were impacted by her lack of seat belt.

Injuries are typically worse if the passengers are not using their seat belts, Blomenkamp said. Seat belts are designed to keep drivers and passengers in place and inside the vehicle where there is some protection.

Blomenkamp said more often than not, accident victims are wearing their seat belts.

"We feel it's an important safety measure, seat belts have been proven to save lives," he said.

According to a recent statewide survey, only 77 percent of Missouri residents wear their seat belts compared to the national average of 84 percent, the news release stated.

"Unfortunately, our number has only gone up one percentage point, which doesn't show any real improvement," said Leanna Depue, chairwoman of the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety's executive committee, in the news release.

Blomenkamp said most public agencies promote the use of seat belts and the Boone County Fire District is the same. It employs campaigns to teach children and people of driving age the importance of buckling up.

The Columbia Police Department also works to encourage the use of seat belts, CPD spokeswoman Jessie Haden said.

Like many government employees, CPD officers are required to wear their seat belts when on the clock, though the policy is flexible if an officer needs to exit the car quickly, Haden said.

CPD also helps enforce seat belt requirement laws when issuing tickets for other traffic violations.

Although an officer can't pull someone over just to see if they are wearing a seat belt, they can tack on an additional fine to the ticket if they find that someone they pulled over is not wearing their seat belt.

"The fine's not really high but we give people tickets so they will buckle in next time," Haden said.

It is up to the officer's discretion whether to issue a ticket and often, people are just given warnings. Haden said if an officer sees a person has been fined multiple times for not wearing a seat belt, they are more likely to issue a ticket.