Tickets being issued for Hands-Free Law
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- The Missouri State Highway Patrol has issued more than 300 tickets since the hands-free law was enforced this year.
The hands-free law was enacted in the summer of 2023, but officers only started fully enforcing it on Jan. 1.
Under the Siddens-Bening Hands-Free Law, drivers in Missouri cannot use their phones while behind the wheel. However, hands-free devices like Bluetooth are allowed.
Statewide, since the law went into effect, 394 traffic citations and 412 warnings have been issued. Locally, in the Troop H region, 19 traffic citations and 31 warnings have been issued.
Sgt. Shane Hux with the Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop H said officers still are seeing the law being violated and tickets will be handed out as long as it persists.
“Even when I'm in my personal vehicle not working, I see how people are still utilizing their cell phones when they're operating a motor vehicle,” Hux said. “The law officially says you cannot do that and there are consequences with that.”
Tickets start at $150 for the first offense and go up to $500 for a third offense.
“If you're involved in a crash and someone is seriously injured or killed, you're not looking at a traffic ticket violating the hands-free law, you're looking at a criminal charge whether that be involuntary manslaughter or murder.”
If someone is killed at the hands of a distracted driver, that person could get up to seven years in prison.
However, the hands-free law is a secondary enforcement offense, which means that if you're pulled over for a primary issue like speeding or reckless driving and an officer notices you on your phone, you will be ticketed for that as well.
In 2023, the year the law was passed, 106 people died on Missouri roads due to distracted driving, according to data from the Missouri Department of Transportation.
A study conducted by MoDOT shows that in its first year, the Siddens Bening Hands-Free Law has reduced distracted driving by 5%, preventing more than 1,000 crashes and five fatalities.
Missouri State troopers are urging motorists to keep both hands on the wheel when driving so accidents can continue trending downward.
