County Police Join 'Click it or Ticket' Campaign

Ballwin may already have a law on the books allowing police to ticket drivers who aren't wearing their seatbelts, but county police warned Friday that they, too, will be on the lookout for drivers not taking safety precautions.

Starting this weekend, St. Louis County police and other local law enforcement have officially partnered with state highway patrol to implement their "Click It or Ticket" campaign, law enforcement officers announced Friday.

According to the coalition of law enforcement officers, traffic specialists and several other groups involved, St. Louis County was the first jurisdiction to adopt a primary seat belt measure, although Ballwin and several other cities have similar legislation in place.

Under the law, police can stop any vehicle in which the driver or the passenger is not wearing a seat belt and issue a ticket. In addition to Ballwin, cities with comparable ordinances include Chesterfield, Creve Coeur, Brentwood, Calverton Park, Charlack, Clarkson Valley, Edmundson, St. John, New Melle and Webster Groves.

Tom Blair, a coalition leader and MoDot engineer, presented a map of St. Louis County, which highlighted in blue the cities and portions of the county with primary seat belt laws.

“We’re hoping the number of municipalities that have the primary seat belt law will increase,” Blair said. “We want it to be uncool not to be blue.”

According to the coalition, only 76 percent of Missouri motorists wear their seat belts, which is well below the national average of 85 percent. Additionally, seven out of 10 Missourians killed in traffic accidents are unbuckled. The coalition is hoping the campaign will get more motorists to buckle up, thus saving lives.

Dr. Jason Schlautman, medical director of St. Anthony’s Medical Center’s Emergency Department, said the use of seat belts is predicted to save people from critical injuries by 45 percent.

"We see way too many car accident victims and too many people who are injured because they weren’t wearing a seat belt,” he said. “In fact, 75 percent of people who are injured and weren’t wearing a seat belt die from their injuries.”

Amy Twellman, of Troy, Mo., said she was lucky to survive after a 1991 car accident in which she and a friend were both thrown out of the driver’s side window – neither were wearing seatbelts. He friend did not survive.

“I just ask that other people learn from my mistake, and for the people you love, make them wear their seat belts,” she said.

Jennifer Riegel, of O’Fallon, Mo., also was involved in a serious accident and said she survived the crash because she was wearing her seatbelt.

“I was pinned in the car for 45 minutes,” she said. “I had a back injury and a broken kneecap, but I was still alive. Please buckle up.”

For more information on the coalition or about seat belt usage, visit www.savemolives.com.