ST. LOUIS—Missourians are prohibited from texting, scrolling and holding a phone while driving under the Siddens Bening Hands-Free Laws. It started Jan. 1, sticking distracted drivers with fines and citations.
The law went into effect in August 2023, but officers couldn’t issue citations until this year. In the last two weeks, the Missouri State Highway Patrol says it has issued about 50 tickets and more than 1400 warnings.
Troop C officers, patrolling St. Louis and surrounding counties, gave 17 citations – more than anywhere else in the state. Many drivers don’t recognize the danger of distracted driving, said Sgt. Andrew Gadberry, MHSP Public Information officer.
“I’ve stopped people using their cell phones that I honestly thought were drunk,” Gadberry said. “They were worse than a lot of the drunk drivers I see.”
Last year, 116 people were killed and 4,291 were injured in distracted driver involved crashes statewide, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol crash data. A report by Cambridge Mobile Telematics shows the law has prevented over 1,000 crashes and $22 million in economic damage.
Officers can’t stop drivers for phone use alone, since the Siddens Bening Hands Free Law is secondary. Instead, officers use their own discretion to give additional tickets for phone use, often paired with speeding or failure to signal, Gadberry said.
First-time offenders face a fine up to $150. Then the fine amounts increase, up to $500, for repeat convictions during a two-year period. Distracted drivers who cause a crash resulting in significant property damage, serious injury or death face misdemeanors or felony charges.
Under the Siddens Bening Hands Free Law, Missouri’s Hands-Free Law Drivers cannot:
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Hold or support a cell phone or other wireless device while driving
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Manually type, write, send, or read any text-based messages on an electronic communication device
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Watch, record, post, send or broadcast a video or movie, including video calls and social media posts
Drivers can:
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Place or receive voice calls utilizing voice-operated or hands-free functions that can be engaged/disengaged with a single touch or swipe
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Talk on the phone, hands-free, utilizing features like built-in phone speaker, in-car Bluetooth, or ear bud/headset
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Send or receive text-based communication through voice-to-text features
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Utilize cell phone GPS navigation and music or podcast functions
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Utilize cell phone car mounts to assist with hands-free use
