Missouri fatal crashes decrease for 2025 so far
Alison Patton
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Fatal crashes in Missouri decreased by 2% in 2025 compared to this time last year, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Deadly crashes are down by 8% across the nation, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. More than 17,000 people died in a car crash between January and June 2025. This time last year, more than 18,500 people had died in a car crash.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop F has reported 39 deaths on the roads so far for 2025. The agency reported 69 fatal crashes for 2024.
“We continue to encourage everyone to slow down, avoid distractions like cellphones, have a sober driver and always buckle up,” MSHP Sgt. Kyle Green wrote in a statement.
Troop F, which covers mid-Missouri, is down 15% in fatal crashes compared to this time last year.
Two men died in a crash in Cooper County, and another man died in a crash in Howard County on Wednesday. Two other people died in a crash on Tuesday in Morgan County.
The Missouri Department of Transportation reiterated much of what Green said. MODOT’s Jon Nelson, state highway safety and traffic engineer, added do the speed limit.
“Always drive the appropriate speed, sometimes that’s not the speed limit,” Nelson said.
He continued with examples of when the going the speed limit isn’t safe, like when it’s raining or the roadway is conjested.
“We would we would bring these numbers down significantly if we could just address those different problem behaviors,” said Joe Young, the media relations director for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Young and Nelson noted the same things for drivers to stay safe while on the road.
IIHS researches to find the best way to keep drivers safe on the road. The organization even does crash tests of cars to monitor how the safety system.
“Over time, we’ve added new crash test scenarios that are more challenging for vehicles and that have pushed safety even further,” Young
Young said safety features in cars can also prevent crashes.
“If anyone has purchased a vehicle recently, it might have automatic emergency braking on board that vehicle, and that’s a proven technology that helps to cut rear-end crashes,” Young said. “Things like blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, are all proven technologies that are cutting crashes.”
2025 deadly crash data could change as the year goes on.