Traffic fatalities in Missouri are down for the second consecutive year. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said, according to preliminary data, 954 people died in traffic crashes last year. That’s a decrease of 4% from 2023 and 10% compared to 2022.
"Despite the continued progress, this still amounts to nearly three lives lost on Missouri roadways every day," the Missouri State Highway Patrol said in a press release.
At the same time, pedestrian fatalities on the state’s roadways are up. Last year, 148 pedestrians were struck and killed — 16% more than 2023 and the highest number ever recorded in a single year in Missouri.
The highway patrol called it "a concerning trend of rising pedestrian deaths." It said a notable percentage of those deaths were people who had exited their vehicle due to a prior crash or a breakdown on the side of the road.
Josh Parshall, chief development officer for Local Motion, a transit advocacy organization in Columbia, said many pedestrian deaths are due to people being forced to walk on streets or rail tracks due to a lack of accessible sidewalks.
Parshall said one major barrier slowing road improvement is the need for cooperation between MoDOT and local governments.
Preliminary numbers indicate motorcyclist fatalities in the state were down 23% last year, with 133 motorcyclists killed on Missouri roadways. It’s the lowest number of deaths since Missouri repealed the all-rider helmet law in 2020.
“We still have a lot of work to do in Missouri, and we are especially concerned by the rising number of pedestrian fatalities in our state. We all have a responsibility to use the transportation system in a safe manner, and both drivers and pedestrians can make safe choices to help make this happen,” said State Highway Safety and Traffic Engineer Jon Nelson in a statement.
“Let’s keep our heads up, watch out for each other, slow down, and put all distractions aside, whether we’re behind the wheel or taking a walk.”
According to the highway patrol, cell phones have proven to be one of the most persistent and consequential distractions. Distracted driving contributed to more than 100 deaths in both 2023 and 2024, and statistically, more than half of the victims are someone other than the distracted driver.
Jon Nelson, a state highway safety and traffic engineer, attributed some of the overall success in decreasing roadway fatalities to a newly enforced Missouri law.
The Siddens-Bening Law took effect in August 2023, and it prohibits drivers from using electronic devices.
“It prohibits everything with that phone use now, other than making a call over your Bluetooth device that's hands free or speakerphone or using your phone for navigational purposes,” he said.
Before January 1, officers could only issue warnings to drivers using electronic devices. But now, officers can give out full citations for violators.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said 171 citations had been issued as of Tuesday. Officers gave 1,247 warnings in 2024.
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