Business & Tech

New Seat Belt Law in Manchester Effective Immediately

Monday, the Manchester Board of Aldermen voted to enact a new seat belt law. Now, drivers can be pulled over if anyone in the car is not wearing a seatbelt.

Motorists in Manchester can now be pulled over for not buckling up. Missouri state law already requires drivers and passengers in a car to wear seat belts, but if a city does not have a primary seat belt law, police can only issue a ticket for failure to wear a seat belt if a motorist is pulled over for a separate violation. Until now, that was the case for Manchester. However, Monday night, the Manchester Board of Aldermen voted to enact a primary seat belt law in the city effective immediately.

It's an idea that Acting Police Chief Lt. Tim Walsh supports. He tells Town and Country and Manchester Patch that many surrounding municipalities, including Ballwin, Chesterfield and Creve Coeur already have a primary seat belt law in place.

"My purpose for proposing this is safety. In the last three years in St. Louis County  there havebeen 70 deaths of occupants in cars who were not wearing their seatblets," Walsh told board members Monday night.

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The vote did not come without a preceeding discussion. 

Alderman Michael Clement told fellow board members about a phone call he received from a resident earlier Monday.

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"I had a call today from someone saying this was a money maker and I said that  was not the case. It's for safetey and at ten dollars for the ticket it's clearly not to make money," Clement said.

The cost of a seat belt ticket is $10, plus court costs. Walsh said the state sets the $10 ticket cost.

"What was wrong with our old situation? Why do you want to change it?" Alderman Hal Roth asked Walsh.

"Because theres's not a statute making it a primary violation and people are not obeying the law," Walsh answered.

During the discussion, Roth said he'd be more likely to support a primary seat belt law for children rather than adults.

"They're not making decisions for themselves, but adults are making their own decisions," Roth said.

"The decision has already been made. It's state law.  This would just allow police to stop the car if a person is not wearing their seat belt," Walsh explained. "I think as a local government we have a responsibility to promote safety and this bill does that."

Despite Roth's questions, he and three other alermen voted for the bill and it passed by a vote of 4:2. Aldermen Bob Tullock and Don Ryan voted against the bill.

Tullock said  some residents had shared with him that they did not feel a primary seat belt law was necessary. He pointed out that most streets in Manchester have 20 to 25 miles per hour speed limits and questioned whether seat belts were really a concern on those streets.

Manchester resident Joe Smythe told Town and Country - Manchester Patch that he travels all the time, all over the country and supports buckling down on buckling up.

"I've seen more than my share of accidents and the horrible carnage that results. Every bit of research that's been done supports the additional safety of wearing seat belts. They can't prevent the accident, but they can significantly reduce the injuries, " Smythe said. "I can't see the rationalization that someone would argue against seat belts."

Manchester police are expected to begin issuing tickets within the next few weeks.

Postal workers would not be required to wear seat belts during their mail delivery routes. Walsh said this is a federal issue, not a city decision.

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Other Business:

  • Ward 3 Alderman Don Ryan apologized  to James Holten and retracted a previous statement claiming Holten had a felony on his record. It was an issue that turned into a heated debate at the last board of alderman meeting when Holten addressed the issue and misinformation with Ryan.
  • Mayor David Willson said the city is still waiting for the April 5 election results to be certified, so the new aldermen were not sworn in at Monday night's meeting. Willson said John Schrader and Paul Hamill will be sworn in as new aldermen at the May 2 meeting.
  • The board approved submitting grant applications for funding to address alcohol violations by minors and traffic violations within the city. As part of this, a $1,500 portable breathalyzer device to be used on minors suspected of drinking will be purchased by the police department. It would record an alcohol reading and provide a print out on the scene of breathalyzer results that can be used in court.
  • Mayor David Willson also said he'd just been reappointed to another two-year term to the St. Louis County Municipal League.


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