Seat belts, child seats and phone laws in Missouri

By the end of this topic you can

• You can say who must wear a seat belt in Missouri, including extra rules for intermediate drivers.
• You can choose the right restraint for a child by age, weight and height.
• You can list what the hands-free law bans and allows.
• You can reduce other distractions before you set off.

What you need to know and understand

• Missouri law requires the driver and front-seat passengers to wear seat belts.
• With a permit or intermediate driver at the wheel, every passenger must be belted.
• Children under 4, or under 40 pounds, need a child restraint system.
• Children aged 4 to 7 who weigh 40 to 79 pounds and are under 4 feet 9 inches need a child seat or booster.
• While the vehicle is moving, you may not hold or support a phone with any part of your body.
• Hands-free calls, voice-to-text and phone GPS or music used without holding the phone are allowed.
• Warnings were given until the end of 2024; since January 1, 2025 violations can be ticketed.

Belts and air bags

Wear the lap belt low and snug across your hips and the shoulder belt across your chest, never under your arm or behind your back. Air bags help, but they do not keep you in place in side impacts, rear impacts or rollovers, and they can injure people who are not belted. Sit with about ten inches between your breastbone and the steering wheel. Children 12 and under are safest in a back seat, and a rear-facing infant seat must never go in front of an active passenger air bag.

Child passengers by size

• Under 4 years, or under 40 pounds: child restraint system suited to the child.
• Ages 4 to 7, 40 to 79 pounds and under 4 feet 9 inches: child restraint or booster seat.
• At least 8 years, or 80 pounds or more, or taller than 4 feet 9 inches: seat belt or booster seat.
• These rules do not cover public carriers for hire or school buses.

What the hands-free law means

When the vehicle is moving, you may not hold or support a phone, type, write, send or read text messages, record or post video, make video calls, or watch videos. You may make or take calls using voice or one-touch hands-free functions, talk using a speaker, Bluetooth or earbuds, send messages by voice-to-text, and use GPS, music or podcasts. Commercial drivers who break the law can be disqualified, and fines apply.

Phones are not the only distraction. Set your mirrors, seat, climate and route before moving, secure pets, and ask passengers to handle the radio and navigation. If you need to deal with a child or a call, pull over somewhere safe.

Common mistakes

• Holding the phone at a red light while traffic is moving around you. Mount it or leave it alone.
• Moving a child out of a booster too early. Check weight and height, not just age.
• Letting passengers in an intermediate driver's car ride unbelted in the back. Everyone must buckle up.
• Typing a new address while driving. Enter destinations before you go.

Test yourself: Seat belts, child seats and phone laws in Missouri

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Go deeper

• Missouri Hands-Free Law Explained for New Drivers
• Learning to Drive in Missouri
• Missouri 40-Hour Supervised Driving Requirement