KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri legislators passed a bill on May 11 that — if signed by Gov. Mike Parson — will require hands-free phone use for all drivers, and make texting while driving illegal.
The number of distracted driving-related crashes has helped push for such legislation in Missouri, including the stories of two Missourians who were killed by distracted drivers.
There were 197,564 distracted driving-related crashes in the state between 2012 and 2021, and 801 people died in those crashes, according to the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety (MCRS).
Currently, Missouri law only prohibits drivers 21-years-old and younger from texting while driving.
"In the last five years, no behavior on our roadways has become more alarming than distracted driving," the MCRS's website says.
If Parson signs the bill, it will be illegal for drivers behind the wheel to physically hold a cell phone; write or read text-based messages; record, posting, send, broadcast video, make/receive video calls or use social media; and watching a video or movie.
There are some exceptions.
Under the bill, drivers will be allowed to make calls or receive them using voice-operated or hands-free tools that use a single touch or swipe; talk on the phone hands free; send or receive texts through voice-to-text features; use GPS navigation and music apps.
There are also exemptions for drivers who need to use their phones in emergency situations.
The bill creates the "Siddens Bening Hands Free Law", which honors the lives of two Missourians — Michael Bening, 46, of Raymore, and Randall Siddens, 34, of Columbia — who were killed by alleged distracted drivers.
While trying to pick up debris on the road, Bening was hit and killed by an alleged distracted driver on Interstate 49 in Cass County in May 2021, according to a AAA press release.
Siddens sustained injuries and later died after a driver, who was speeding while Facetiming, struck him in May 2019, per a AAA release. He was collecting traffic cones after a triathlon race. His family now serves as advocates against distracted driving.
In 2021 — the most recent MCRS data — more than half of of those killed in Missouri in distracted driving-related crashes were someone other than the distracted driver.
If Parson signs the bill, it will be enacted on August 28, 2023, but penalties will not be enforced until January 1, 2025, to give the public time to adjust and become educated. A warning will be issued to drivers for the time being.
If enacted, Missouri will be the 49th state to put a ban on texting while driving, and it will be the 26th state to require hands-free phone use for drivers of all ages.
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