Is It Illegal to Wear Headphones While Driving in Missouri?
As you’re commuting to work on the I-29 towards St. Joseph, you might be tempted to put on The Unwritten Rule podcast or take a hands-free call using your AirPods Max. But have you ever stopped to wonder about the legality and safety of wearing headphones while driving in Missouri? This is a common question the Missouri car accident lawyers at Patterson Legal Group hear. While Missouri law doesn’t explicitly ban the use of headphones for all drivers, doing so can be extremely dangerous and can lead to you being ticketed or held liable in an automobile wreck.
In this blog, our Missouri injury attorneys explain why wearing headphones while driving in Missouri is dangerous and how it can leave you liable in the event of a collision.
The Legal Gray Area of Headphones While Driving in Missouri
Unlike some states that have clear-cut laws prohibiting the use of headphones or earbuds while operating a vehicle, Missouri takes a different approach. There is no specific statute that states, “You cannot wear headphones while driving.” However, this does not mean you are completely free to do so.
Although Missouri Revised Statute 304.822 prohibits the use of “electronic communication devices” while driving, it does not refer to earbuds or headphones specifically. Instead, the law encompasses a broad range of consumer electronics, including mobile phones, portable video game systems, laptops, and tablets.
The state also has a broader law that was designed to curb distracted driving and reckless driving. Missouri Revised Statute 304.012 requires every driver to “exercise the highest degree of care.” This means you must always be in control of your vehicle and able to react to sudden changes in traffic conditions.
If a law enforcement officer in St. Joseph or Kansas City observes you driving erratically and believes your headphones are impairing your ability to hear emergency sirens, honking horns, or other crucial traffic sounds, they can pull you over and issue a citation for failure to exercise the highest degree of care. This traffic violation can come with fines and points on your license. So while the act of wearing headphones while driving in Missouri isn’t literally illegal, the consequences of doing so can be.
Wearing Headphones While Driving in Missouri Compromises Your Safety
Your sense of hearing is a critical component of safe driving. Even with your eyes on the road, your ears provide important contextual information that your eyes might miss. When you block out this crucial information with headphones, you significantly increase your chances of a car crash. Consider these common scenarios on Missouri roads:
- You’re changing lanes on the I-435 loop in Kansas City and don’t hear the urgent honk of a driver in your blind spot.
- An ambulance is approaching with its siren on as you approach an intersection in Downtown St. Joseph, but your music drowns it out, causing you to fail to yield.
- You miss the sound of screeching tires from a car losing control ahead of you, giving you less time to react.
Driving requires your full attention, and eliminating one of your key senses creates a preventable hazard. This is why the decision to wear headphones while driving in Missouri is a risk not worth taking.
Liability and Your Personal Injury Claim
If you cause an accident while wearing headphones, that fact will likely become a central issue in a personal injury claim. An insurance adjuster or a jury will see it as a clear example of distracted driving and a failure to exercise the highest degree of care, as required by Missouri law.
This can severely impact your ability to recover compensation, even if the other driver was also partially at fault. Missouri is a pure comparative fault state, meaning your compensation can be reduced by your percentage of blame.
On the other hand, if you are injured by a driver who was wearing headphones, this evidence becomes a powerful tool for your claim. It demonstrates their negligence and strengthens your claim for damages. In such complex situations, consulting with experienced Missouri car accident attorneys can be crucial to protecting your interests.
Contact a Trusted Missouri Car Accident Lawyer Near Me
The Missouri injury attorneys at Patterson Legal Group believe that the safest choice is to keep your ears free and your attention fully on the road. If you need to take a call, use your vehicle’s infotainment system or your phone’s hands-free mode. For navigation, set your GPS destination before you start driving and rely on visual cues or your car’s audio system for turn-by-turn directions. Making these simple adjustments can help prevent a serious collision on Missouri highways or local streets.
Unfortunately, some automobile wrecks happen no matter how safe you’re being. If you’ve been injured in a crash, know that Patterson Legal Group is available to assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can reach us by phone at 888-687-2400, speak with our online LiveChat agents, or submit your case information through our secure contact form. Our renowned trial lawyers have recovered top settlements for clients throughout Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Colorado. Reach out to us today to get the legal representation you need and the results you want.
