Missouri roadway fatalities down from 2021

Missouri traffic fatalities have dropped a "modest" 7% in the first half of this year compared to 2021, according to a news release from the state Department of Transportation.

There were 413 fatalities from Missouri crashes from Jan. 1 to June 22 compared to 445 people killed in crashes in the same time frame last year.

Cape Girardeau County set a 15-year record in 2021 with 15 roadway fatalities, six of which were in the City of Cape Girardeau.

More than 1,000 people died in roadway crashes in Missouri in 2021, the highest number since 2006.

"These modest gains in numbers over last year are encouraging, but we have a long way to go to achieve our ultimate goal of zero roadway deaths," Nicole Hood, MoDOT highway safety and traffic engineer, said in a news release.

"We can all work together to use Missouri's roads in a safe manner that protects our own lives and the lives of those around us. Let's use this summer to drive Missouri toward zero deaths," Hood added.

The most common contributing circumstance to fatal crashes in Missouri is aggressive driving, according to MoDOT. While it is possible for a crash to have more than one contributing circumstance, over half of fatal crashes in 2021 in the state had aggressive driving as a contributing circumstance.

The summer months are generally considered to be the deadliest on roadways, according to MoDOT. The upcoming Fourth of July weekend will be the halfway point in the historically high season for the state's traffic fatalities.

The holiday weekend is expected to correlate with an estimated 47.9 million people traveling 50 or more miles from home, according to AAA. Despite gas prices nearly $2 more a gallon compared to 2021, an estimated 42 million are expected to travel via roadways this weekend, which would be a record.