MoDOT leads annual BUPD Day efforts nationwide

Schools, businesses and other states join in sharing safety messages

For the ninth year, MoDOT and the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, along with various safety partners, schools and businesses throughout Missouri and nationwide, encouraged better driving behaviors as part of the annual Buckle Up Phone Down Day challenge on Oct. 29.

MoDOT and its safety partners hosted a Highway Safety Fair at Smith-Cotton High School in Sedalia. Area high schools and advocacy groups were invited to view new safety technology, discuss and share personal stories and participate in interactive demonstrations such as a seat belt convincer, impaired driving goggles and pedestrian awareness tactics. The Missouri Safety Center also promoted safety efforts in Sedalia by setting up a driving simulator.

Speakers included MoDOT State Highway Safety & Traffic Engineer Jon Nelson (pictured), Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop A Public Information Officer Cpl. Justin Ewing, Sedalia Police Department Chief David Woolery and Hangup & Drive’s Jacy Good. A keynote speaker also talked to the students about the risks associated with distracted driving.

The event served as an opportunity for highway safety advocates to directly connect with the next generation of drivers, answer questions and continue promoting the two best tools everyone can use in preventing traffic fatalities: wearing a seat belt and not driving distracted.

MoDOT's social media accounts led promotional efforts online, including livestreamed media events from across the state and posts on Facebook, X, and Instagram promoting safe driving behavior, as well as videos from SaveMOLives and MoDOT employees explaining the importance of buckling up and putting the phone down.

But MoDOT wasn't alone in promoting the Buckle Up Phone Down message.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe also released a social media video encouraging everyone to buckle up, put the phone down and practice safe driving habits, because the people killed in these roadway crashes aren't just numbers, they're someone's friend and family member.

NASCAR driver Ross Chastain filmed a personal testimonial for MoDOT's social media to share his experiences about why it's important to be attentive and buckled up in a vehicle, whether you're going 20 miles per hour in a school zone or close to 200 miles per hour on a racetrack.

Read on to learn about how MoDOT coordinated local efforts across the state with their communities, schools and businesses.

The Northeast District worked with several local businesses to remind customers to take the BUPD pledge.

They provided companies with stickers to place on takeout bags, drink cups and more to promote the BUPD message and act as a small reminder that everyone has to work together to make Missouri's roadways safer. They shared some of the results on their social media.

In the Northwest District, local representatives conducted seat belt checks across several counties to raise awareness. In Andrew County, volunteers saw 74 vehicles with 92 occupants; 75 were buckled and 17 were unbuckled. Out of the 84 occupants in 68 vehicles counted in Buchanan County, 67 were buckled and 17 were unbuckled. Combined, both counties averaged 81% seat belt compliance rate.

Three schools in the district hosted seat belt checks as well, with Milan C-2 counting 56 buckled and 29 unbuckled, Green City R-I finding 15 buckled and 21 unbuckled and Newton-Harris R-III counting 14 buckled and zero unbuckled.

The Northwest Regional Council of Governments (RCOG) also took part with a social media campaign to spread awareness about the BUPD movement. RCOG challenged other regional organizations to take the BUPD pledge, share a video on social media and challenge another group. One example is this clever video from Quad State Ink.

RCOG hosted a pledge drive on BUPD Day at Northwest Missouri State University which resulted in 40 in-person pledges in addition to more generation from social media promotion throughout the month of October.

In the Kansas City District, local law enforcement, MoDOT employees, Lee's Summit North High School students and roadway safety advocates came together for a unified effort to bring awareness to the importance of BUPD.

The media event was livestreamed from the MoDOT Kansas City Facebook page and speakers in attendance included MoDOT Deputy Director/Chief Engineer Eric Schroeter; MSHP Troop A Capt. Steven Wilhoit; parent advocate Jo Higgins-Hines, mother of crash victim Jomari Hines; and Lee’s Summit North High School student Kale Lepert.

Photos of the event are also available on the MoDOT KC Flickr page.

MoDOT's Southwest District hosted a live media event in Springfield to share important messages about the negative impacts driving distracted or unbuckled can have on roadway fatalities.

Speakers at this event included MoDOT's Southwest District Engineer Stacy Reese, MoDOT State Highway Safety & Traffic Engineer Jon Nelson, MSHP Troop D Sgt. Mike McClure and Heather Usher, school resource officer for the Sparta Police Department.

In the Southeast District, members of the Southeast Coalition for Roadway Safety spent the whole month of October placing BUPD signs throughout their communities and encouraging colleagues to take the pledge. They distributed a total of 117 signs.

Every morning during the week of Oct. 27-31, the coalition worked with students, faculty and members of the Greenville High School Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) to conduct seat belt checks and distributed treats and prizes to those who were buckled up.

Greenville High School also held several Red Ribbon Week activities that coincided with the BUPD safe driving promotions. An assembly was held on Oct. 31 where faculty, students, and School Resource Officer and coalition member Donnie Robinson discussed the importance of BUPD and encouraged attendees to take the pledge.

Greenville is participating in the AAA Buckle Up Phone Down Showdown and currently leads the way in their class for 2025 with the most pledges. The Showdown is a school vs. school competition to see who can obtain the most BUPD pledges amongst students, faculty, friends, family and community members. Winning schools are awarded monetary donations from AAA Missouri, based on their class, to be used for Project Prom, Project Graduation or similar safety-focused student programs. Since the BUPD High School Showdown began in 2021, AAA Missouri has awarded 21 Missouri high schools more than $40,000 in donations.

While MoDOT created the BUPD campaign as a safety initiative for Missouri back in 2017, it has since become a national movement. Starting with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in 2019, more than two dozen states across the country have now adopted the slogan for their own safety campaigns.

For this year's national BUPD Day celebration, multiple states collaborated on a promotional social media video.

The collaboration includes video segments contributed by MoDOT, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT), the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).

Keep reading below for more of the promotional efforts from BUPD partners in other states across the country.

Ohio Department of Transportation loops viewers into BUPD

Wisconsin Department of Transportation posts BUPD photoshoot

Michigan teams up with the Office of Highway Safety Planning

Indiana Department of Transportation promotes safety messaging

Connecticut Department of Transportation shares testimonials