More than 850 people were killed in traffic accidents in Missouri last year. Missouri Department of Transportation Director of Highway Safety Bill Whitfield said after two years of lower numbers, the number of deadly crashes in Missouri for 2015 were more than 800 for the first time since 2012.
Photo courtesy of the Missouri State Highway Patrol
“That’s 11.4% increase from 2014,” said Whitfield. “Another thing that’s kind of important to know is that, of those killed in traffic crashes, 63% of drivers and passengers killed were not buckled up at the time of the crash.”
About 760 people were killed in vehicle crashes in Missouri in 2014.
“We saw a large increase in expressway intersection fatalities, to where people aren’t obeying those traffic signals or they are running those signals. We saw an 82% increase in overturning fatalities,” said Whitfield.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the leading causes of fatal crashes continue to be speeding, driver inattention and impaired driving.
The number of drownings also jumped in 2015 with 58, compared to 29 in 2014.
15 people were killed in boating-related accidents in Missouri last year, which was unchanged from 2014.
