Cause for Concern: Mississippi DUI and Your Seat Belt

There are basic safety features in every car, and none are as easy as deciding to click your seat belt together. Just like the simple choice to only drive when you’re sober. When you combine sober driving and a buckled seat belt together, you are an inspiration for safe driving in Mississippi. But, when you don’t fasten that belt AND you’ve been drinking, you’re heading into a whole lot of trouble for endangering everyone on the road.

In Mississippi, there are “Primary Belt Laws” that allow a law enforcement officer to issue you a citation for not wearing your seat belt. Since that requires a traffic stop, one of the next observations by that officer is whether or not you may have been drinking alcohol. People with a “buzz”or who are intoxicated don’t make great life choices (like not wearing seat belts), lending “probable cause” for further questioning, breathalyzer and roadside sobriety testing. If you fail, you have a seat belt citation, and the possibility of a DUI charge. Then you’re looking at big fines and costs, an ignition interlock requirement and more.

Skipping the seat belt is not only dangerous, but, it is a strong indication that you could also be driving unsafely in other ways. An intoxicated driver may forget to turn on their headlights, buckle their seat belt, or stop for a red light, all of which endanger the driver, any passengers and others on the road. There’s “probable cause” and “primary belt laws” in Mississippi for trusted reasons, and when you fit the profile of a drunk driver by foregoing your seat belt, you’re setting yourself up for plenty of DUI trouble. Buckle up, stay sober when driving, and show everyone that a DUI in Mississippi can be avoided just by being a safe driver.