JEFFERSON CITY – With roadway fatalities in Missouri continuing to trend closer to surpassing last year’s count, the Missouri Department of Transportation is urging drivers to use safe driving practices heading into the holiday and winter season.
To date in 2025, more than 700 people have died on Missouri roadways. Of the vehicle occupants killed, more than half were unbuckled. Distracted driving is also a leading cause of crashes in Missouri. In 2024, distracted driving was cited in crashes that claimed 106 lives, though that number is likely higher due to underreporting.
“We’ve made great progress in reducing fatalities each of the last two years, but in the last few months that progress has slowed significantly,” said MoDOT State Highway Safety and Traffic Engineer Jon Nelson. “Even more concerning is the impact behind each of those numbers. The lives lost are a fraction of the lives forever changed by poor driving decisions.”
Despite notable progress in recent years, Missouri’s downward trend in roadway fatalities is now at risk. In 2024, the state saw its second consecutive year of decline, with a total of 955 traffic-related deaths. However, 344 of those fatalities occurred between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31. If current patterns continue through the 2025 holiday travel season, Missouri could surpass last year’s fatality numbers, ending a hard-earned streak of progress in roadway safety.