Why Kansas City is seeing a surge of traffic deaths

By Nomin Ujiyediin,

Published September 12, 2022 at 4:00 AM CDT

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Kansas City traffic fatalities are up 25% from a year earlier, and nationwide, deaths are at a 20-year high, a surge not seen among any other developed countries. Plus: Congress is spending billions to help states stop pollution from abandoned oil and gas wells.

U.S. roads are more dangerous now than they’ve been in a generation. Traffic fatalities are running at a 20 year high in the U.S., despite the fact that cars are safer than they've ever been. KCUR’s Frank Morris reports that Kansas City is not safe from this grim spike in deaths.

Kansas will speed up its work to seal thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells that can pollute our groundwater and the atmosphere. Kansas News Service reporters Celia Llopis-Jepsen and Blaise Mesa explain.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love, Trevor Grandin, and KCUR Studios and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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