Missouri's Seat Belt Law May Be Changed

Shannon Weidemann

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The House Transportation Committee voted 7 to 1 to send a bill to the House floor that would allow police officers to stop cars where occupants were not wearing seat belts.

Current law allows police to write a $10 ticket for not wearing a seat belt, but only if an officer notices the violation after making a traffic stop for another reason.

The bill would also require anyone for whom there is a seat belt to wear it. Current law only requires seat belts for those in the front seats.

Only 58 percent of teenagers wear seatbelts in the state of Missouri. It is hoped that seat belt usage will go up with the new law.