Seven die in holiday weekend crashes, highway patrol says

The number of traffic crashes was down this past holiday weekend compared to last year, but the number of deaths was up. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said seven people died over the Memorial Day weekend, compared to four last Memorial Day. Capt. Tim Hull of the patrol said most of the deaths this year occurred in one-vehicle accidents.

"It goes back to the one important thing and that's the number one contributing circumstance of traffic crashes today," Hull said. "And that's just driver inattention. It's a failure to pay attention to that full-time job of driving."

Hull said it's been a bad year overall on the road so far. Traffic deaths are running 21 percent ahead of last year at this time. There were no deaths reported on the state's river and lakes during the Memorial Day holiday weekend.