The City of Dexter may soon join a growing number of Missouri communities by adopting a primary seatbelt ordinance.
A primary seatbelt ordinance allows police officers to stop a driver solely for not wearing a seatbelt.
Under standing laws, officers can ticket an individual for not wearing a seatbelt, but it can not be the primary reason they pull a vehicle over.
Dexter City Attorney Yewell Lawrence presented an ordinance to the board for their consideration Monday evening at the request of the Dexter Police Department.
Section 380.160 of the city code currently states in its seat belt provision that "No person shall be stopped, inspected or detained solely to determine compliance with the [seat belt law]."
Under the new proposal, it would state "Vehicles may be stopped, inspected or detained solely to determine compliance with [this section]."
Under the code, anyone in violation can be fined up to $50.
The board didn't discuss the matter, but have taken it under advisement until their next meetingwhich has been scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 3 due to the Labor Day holiday.
The cities of Bloomfield and Essex both have such an ordinance already in place.
Bloomfield Police Chief Tim Zych said he has been very pleased with the results of the ordinance and believes it is encouraging drivers to remember to buckle up when they get behind the wheel of a car.
"Every day someone dies in a crash in Missouri because they weren't buckled up," Zych said.
Seat belt use is considered by the Missouri State Highway Patrol to be the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.
Seven out of 10 people killed in Missouri traffic crashes are not wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash. Even with the advancements in automobile safety and education on the importance of seat belt use, Missouri's usage statistics have remained relatively unchanged in the last six years and consistently below the national average.
The MSHP reports 79 percent seat belt use, which is well below the national average of 85 percent. Teens and pick-up truck drivers are among those least likely to buckle up at 66 and 63 percent.
Local departments are encouraging individuals to remember to buckle up when they get into their automobile.