According to preliminary data, roadway fatalities in Missouri decreased by 6 percent in 2023. This is the first year since 2019 Missouri has seen a decrease in roadway fatalities.
Despite a decrease in fatalities, 989 fatalities occurred on Missouri roadways, averaging nearly three lives lost every day. In addition, motorcyclist fatalities have increased by 14 percent. Safety professionals cite the lack of helmet as a major factor to this increase.
Other characteristics observed in roadway fatalities include lack of seat belt use, distracted driving, speed and impairment. Of the vehicle occupants killed in 2023, 6 percent were not wearing a seat belt. Distracted driving resulted in more than 100 deaths, historically, more than half of the victims are someone other than the distracted driver. Impaired driving accounted for 17 percent of fatalities where speed and other aggressive driving behaviors contributed to more than half of the total fatalities.
Missouri’s strategic highway safety plan, Show-Me Zero, aims to create a safe system to reduce and eliminate traffic fatalities. For more information on the Show-Me Zero plan, visit www.savemolives.com.
For additional information, call MoDOT at 888-ASK-MODOT or visit www.modot.org.
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