Safer driving

Three years ago, Missouri officials vowed to make roads safer. A highway safety coalition set a goal to reduce the number of traffic fatalities to 1,000 by the end of 2008. By the end of 2007, the state had met that goal.

The Missouri Department of Transportation installed cable barriers in grass medians along interstates to prevent vehicles from crossing into oncoming traffics. It has also installed rumble strips along the sides of our roads to alert drivers who veer too far. MoDOT has also tried to make visibility better by clearing out roadside trees.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has focused its efforts on dangerous areas. More patrols have been assigned to those areas to keep traffic moving at the speed limit.

In 2005, the year after the safety plans went into effect, Missouri traffic fatalities peaked at 1,257. There were 1,096 traffic deaths in 2006, and 966 in 2007.