Thursday 28th March 2024

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For the first time since 2006, Missouri’s traffic fatalities surpassed 1,000. According to preliminary data, 1,004 people were killed in Missouri traffic crashes in 2021, a nearly 3 percent increase over 2020 and marking the second straight year of growing fatality totals after nearly a decade of steady decline.

MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna says, “These fatalities are unacceptable, alarming and preventable. There are simple things we can all do to make a real impact on our roadways. Wearing your seat belt is your best line of defense in a crash and avoiding distractions can prevent those crashes in the first place. Buckle up, phone down.”

MoDOT officials say the lack of seat belt use continues to be a common denominator in fatal crashes. Approximately two-thirds of vehicle occupants killed were not wearing a seatbelt.

Preliminary data shows drivers using a cellphone were involved in more than 2,200 crashes in Missouri in 2021, although distracted driving remains widely underreported – and 40 percent of the fatal crashes involved speeding or driving too fast for the conditions.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Colonel Eric Olson says,“Every motorist who uses Missouri roadways plays an important role in reducing traffic fatalities. The public can help us prevent fatalities by paying attention to the full-time job of driving, obeying all traffic laws, and wearing a seat belt.”

Missouri’s strategic highway safety plan, Show-Me Zero, focuses on four ways every Missourian can help eliminate traffic deaths – buckle up, phone down, slow down and drive sober.

For more information on the Show-Me Zero plan and to learn how all Missourians can help make the roadways safer, visit www.savemolives.com.