Team To Attend the Game as Part of the Annual Buckle Up Phone, Down Day Oct. 19

Governor Mike Parson proclaimed Oct. 19, 2018, Buckle Up, Phone Day in Missouri, and once again the Missouri Department of Transportation has issued the challenge motorists to buckle up and put their cellphones down and just drive.

As part of the day, MoDOT’s Kansas City district, along with the Missouri Highway Patrol, will attend the Lee’s Summit North Football Game at LSN High School. The football team is one of the FIRST in the Kansas City Metro to take the BUPD challenge and issued a challenge of their own to rivals Lee’s Summit High, Lee’s Summit West and Blue Springs South. Watch the video here: https://bit.ly/2ykQU8S

The Lee’s Summit North Marching Band also pledged to BUPD and took the other bands to task. Watch the video here: https://bit.ly/2OkTu93

“Teen drivers are some of our most vulnerable,” said District Traffic Safety Engineer Derek Olson. “In fact, traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for people 15 to 20 years old. We want to do everything we can to encourage our young motorists to focus on driving in the car – only driving. This challenge is a perfect opportunity and we’re hoping more schools will take the challenge.”

Missouri currently has a “no texting” law for drivers 21 years old and younger. But MoDOT and the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety are challenging all drivers to honor that ban no matter what their age. By buckling up and putting your phone down, you do your part to make Missouri’s roads safer.

Over 90 percent of serious crashes are caused by some form of human error. Texting while driving increases the risk of a car crash by 50 percent and as of Sept. 30, 61 percent of 2018 fatalities involved unbuckled drivers or passengers who may have survived if they had been properly restrained. Missouri’s seat belt survey shows 76 percent of the teen vehicle occupants killed were not wearing a seat belt.

For more information or to take the challenge, visit www.modot.org/buckleupphonedown.. For more information about MoDOT news, projects or events, please visit our website at www.modot.mo.gov/kansascity. For instant updates, follow MoDOT_KC on Twitter, or share posts and comments on our Facebook at www.facebook.com/MoDOT.KansasCity.  MoDOT Kansas City maintains more than 7,000 miles of state roadway in nine counties. Sign up online for work zone updates or call 888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636).

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