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As roadway fatalities in Missouri inch closer to surpassing last year’s count, MoDOT is urging drivers to use safe driving practices heading into the holiday and winter season. The effort coincides with the 9th annual Buckle Up Phone Down (BUPD) Day held Oct. 29, and MoDOT hosted events across the state with various safety partners to encourage safe behavior behind the wheel.
Efforts to reduce roadway fatalities are directly tied to the BUPD initiative, as vehicle occupants who are unbuckled have the highest risk of being killed in a crash and distracted driving continues to be the leading cause of crashes in Missouri. So far in 2025, more than half of the 700+ people killed on Missouri roadways were unbuckled, and 2024 fatality data cited at least 106 lives lost due to crashes involving a distracted driver, though that number is likely higher due to underreporting.
While roadway fatalities to date in 2025 are still below 2024 numbers, winter weather and holiday travel tend to cause an uptick in traffic-related deaths in the last quarter of the year, which makes it even more important to stay alert behind the wheel and practice safe driving habits.
Many positive strides have been made in recent years toward improving highway safety in Missouri, such as the Siddens-Bening Hands-Free Law and the state's secondary seat belt law. Many local cities and counties have taken it a step further by enacting primary seat belt ordinances which allow officers to stop motorists specifically for not wearing a seat belt, without the need for additional law violations.
The Buckle Up Phone Down initiative has spread across more than half the states in the country. Following posted speed limits, being attentive and considerate of other road users, slowing down in work zones and inclement weather, and buckling up and putting the phone down while driving are all key factors in the shared goal of reaching zero fatalities on Missouri's roadways.
Schools, businesses and other state agencies also understand the importance of the BUPD movement. Come back next week for a special look into all the BUPD Day events that happened across the state to help raise awareness and educate people of all ages about the impact safe driving habits can have on you and your loved ones. In the meantime, take the BUPD pledge and join the safety movement that's sweeping the nation!
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