Missouri senator again seeking higher seat belt fines

JEFFERSON CITY — A St. Louis senator is making a fourth attempt at raising fines for seat belt violations.

Democratic Sen. Joe Keaveny wants to increase the fine from $10 to $50 for people caught not wearing seat belts in vehicles. His bill was to be heard Wednesday by a Senate committee, marking the fourth consecutive year that he has presented it.

The percentage of people using seat belts in Missouri lags behind the national average. Keaveny hopes a higher fine would encourage more people to buckle up.

Police in Missouri currently cannot pull motorists over for failing to use seat belts but can only issue seat-belt tickets after stopping drivers for some other reason. Keaveny’s legislation would not change that requirement.