Missouri Officials Announce Third Consecutive Year of Declining Traffic Fatalities

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri leaders today announced data showing that traffic fatalities declined in 2025 for the third year in a row, marking a significant milestone in the state's ongoing effort to improve roadway safety.

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe joined the Missouri Department of Transportation, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and other safety partners in making the announcement, which also served as a call for continued action to save lives on Missouri roadways.

Preliminary figures show there were 911 fatalities on Missouri roadways in 2025, down from 955 the previous year - a 5% decrease. Compared to three years ago, Missouri has achieved a 14% reduction in roadway deaths. This marks the first time the state has seen a three-year decline since 2019.

"While this is encouraging progress, losing more than 900 people on our roadways in one year is still far too many," said Governor Mike Kehoe. "Every person, every life lost, is a family forever changed. We're asking all Missourians to commit to making 2026 the fourth year in a row of declining roadway fatalities. Buckle up, put the phone down, and slow down in work zones. These simple actions will save lives."

MoDOT Director Ed Hassinger called for Missourians to continue to speak up about the need to practice safe habits on Missouri roadways.

"There were times last year when our roadway fatality numbers were trending in the wrong direction, we weren't seeing the kind of progress we need," Hassinger said. "But thanks to the hard work of our partners and Missouri drivers who are making safer choices, we were able to turn things around. That kind of change doesn't happen by chance - it happens because speaking up about safety works. Every driver can make a difference by choosing to drive responsibly and encouraging others to do the same. Our ultimate goal is zero fatalities, and it's going to take all of us to get there."

The announcement comes as MoDOT and its partners launch an updated Show-Me Zero plan, a statewide roadmap for reducing traffic fatalities through education, enforcement, engineering and emergency response. Jon Nelson, MoDOT's State Highway Safety and Traffic Engineer, introduced the updated plan and encouraged everyone to get involved in making Missouri's roadways safer.

"While 2025 continued a positive trend in Missouri, we can't stop now," Nelson said. "To keep moving forward, we need every community, every school, every business, and every family to join us in following the strategies in our updated Show-Me Zero plan. Together, we can push Missouri closer to our goal of zero roadway deaths."

For more information on Missouri's roadway safety efforts and the Show-Me Zero plan, visit www.savemolives.com.

For more information, call MoDOT at 888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636) or visit www.modot.org. To receive the latest statewide news and text alerts, sign up for e-updates.

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