Missouri state troopers say none of the motorists killed in traffic crashes during the 2019 New Year’s holiday weekend were wearing seat belts.

A Missouri state trooper pulls a motorist over on I-70 (2018 file photo courtesy of the Missouri State Highway Patrol)

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says eight people died in crashes during the holiday counting period, which ran from Friday evening until 11:59 on New Year’s night.

Six of them were motorists, and troopers say none of them were wearing seat belts.

Last week, Highway Patrol Captain John Hotz had urged Missourians to obey the speed limit and to wear their seat belts.

The other two New Year’s weekend fatalities involved pedestrians: troopers say Phillip Farrar of Steelville and Jason Harvey of Lake Ozark died after being struck in separate crashes in Steelville and Columbia, respectively.

Troopers say Farrar, 53, and the 44-year-old Harvey were on state highways when they were struck.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated 352 crashes during the holiday counting period, involving 112 injuries. They also made 127 arrests for driving while intoxicated.

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