Legislation known as the Primary Seatbelt Bill has been approved by the House Transportation Committee and sent to the full House. Missouri currently has a secondary seatbelt law, meaning law enforcement can only ticket an unbuckled driver if he or she is committing another offense. House Bill 90 would change that to allow for the ticketing of any motorist solely for failure to buckle up.
One after another, citizens stepped up to testify in favor of the legislation. Among them were high school students and the parents of a young person who had been killed in a crash. They pleaded with lawmakers do what she believes is necessary to save young lives.
The number 90 was chosen for this bill because its sponsors believe a primary seatbelt law would save 90 lives every year in Missouri.