JOPLIN, Mo. — The year-over-year increase in roadway fatalities has come to an end in Missouri.
According to preliminary data, there were 989 fatalities on Missouri roadways in 2023. This is a 6% decrease compared to 2022, when there were 1,057 fatalities. This is the first year since 2019 that Missouri has seen a decrease in roadway fatalities.
According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, here are the number of fatalities on Missouri roads over the last five years:
- 2019 — 881
- 2020 — 987
- 2021 — 1,016
- 2022 — 1,057
- 2023* — 989 (*preliminary data)
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Despite the progress, this still amounts to nearly three lives lost on Missouri roadways every day. Some major characteristics observed in roadway fatalities include lack of seat belt use, distracted driving, speed, and impairment, according to MoDOT:
- 63% of vehicle occupants killed in 2023 were not wearing a seat belt.
- Distracted driving contributed to more than 100 deaths in 2023, and historically, more than half of the victims are someone other than the distracted driver.