Two people were killed on Missouri roads over the Christmas holiday counting period. Patrol Spokesman Tim Hull says that’s down from five fatalities last year.
Accidents were down, but injuries were up, and Hull says the patrol arrested 130 people for driving drunk … that’s more than double last year’s total of 56. He says it’s hard to say whether that means so many more people were driving impaired, or whether saturation efforts and sobriety checkpoints were just more successful.
There were 239 crashes, Hull says, with 91 injuries. Last year, there were 213 crashes with 67 injuries.
Traffic fatalities for the year are up 3 percent over last year at this time. Hull says the Patrol is urging everyone to buckle up to reduce the number of accidents resulting in death.
He reminds motorists that troopers will be out in force during the New Year’s holiday, and urges everyone celebrating to plan for a sober ride home before the evening festivities begin. He also says many colleges and civic groups throughout the state are offering free rides to get people home safely after they’ve been drinking.