After two years of traffic fatalities declining in the state, the Missouri Department of Transportation is warning that the state’s progress in traffic safety could be slipping.
MoDOT says that as of mid-October the state’s traffic fatality numbers are just 1% less than they were at this time last year and numbers could rise to pass last year’s total.
“For 2025, 745 people that lost their lives on Missouri roadways — that’s not acceptable,” Eric Schroeter, MoDOT deputy director and chief engineer said at a news conference Wednesday. “That’s over two a day every day.”
With winter and the holiday season arriving soon, officials urge drivers to take personal responsibility with safe driving.
Capt. Scott White, who works in the Public Information and Education Division at the Missouri State Highway Patrol, said the vast majority of the crashes occur because of individual mistakes.
“Somebody screwed up and somebody was doing something they weren’t supposed to be doing,” White said.
Between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31, 2024, there were 344 deaths on state highways. As Missouri enters the winter months, officials say the risks on the road can increase dramatically.
“Days are getting shorter,” Schroeter said. “We’ll have more driving done in the evening in nighttime and dark. We also know the holidays are coming ... that’ll increase travel.”
Schroeter said that traffic fatalities have slowly crept closer to 2024 numbers, and he said he wants to inform the public of traffic safety before the number of fatalities passes last year’s count.
In order to combat the rising number of fatalities, MoDOT issued a call to action for safer driving. During a series of statewide events, officials highlighted their concerns and shared their efforts to prevent traffic fatalities. The events coincided with Buckle Up Phone Down Day, observed by 34 states every Oct. 29.
Buckle Up Phone Down Day, which has been observed by MoDOT since 2016, is designed to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and importance of seat belt use in improving safety.
“It’s buckling up your seatbelt every time, every time, and putting your phone down,” Schroeter said. ”Those two things each and every one of us can do.”
Schroeter said Missouri has seen progress when it comes to seat belt use.
“We know seat belt usage in Missouri has gotten better — it has improved,” Schroeter said. “That’s a good sign. We’d like to make it 100% every time. Even without primary enforcement, we’ve been able to culturally move that number up and get more people to buckle up every time they drive.”
Driving without a seatbelt and holding a phone while driving are secondary violations, meaning that law enforcement cannot pull over drivers for those offenses alone.
“In those distracted crashes, half the time, the person (who) died was not the distracted driver,” Schroeter said. “It was someone else that they involved in a crash. So, we also know that distracted drivers not only affected a personal choice, but it’s anybody else that’s out there.”
White said the Missouri State Highway Patrol will continue to aggressively enforce the 2023 Siddens Bening Hands-Free Law, which prohibits drivers from using electronic communication devices while operating a vehicle.
This is the first year that citations can be issued. As of Oct. 6, troopers had issued 1,208 citations for violators of the Hands-Free Law. White said that number is now near 1,300.
Work zones remain a major focus for MoDOT and law enforcement.
“We have over 900 work zones throughout the state,” White said. “We’re seeing the same issues they are. People driving too fast, not paying attention, wiping crashes, people losing control, hitting workers. ... It’s unacceptable.”
White and Schroeter said that the time saved by speeding through a work zone is not worth the risk of losing lives.