Deadly mid-Missouri crashes continue to trend down versus last year

So far this year, there have been 41 deadly crashes in Mid-Missouri.

Sgt. Scott White with Missouri State Highway Patrol told ABC 17 News that in the same time frame last year, Troop F worked 53 deadly crashes.

Friday afternoon, law enforcement responded to a deadly crash on interstate 70 near mile marker 118, near the Route J exit. One person died and three others were taken to a hospital with serious injuries. Friday’s deadly crash was the second in the day for Mid-Missouri; the other happened in Miller County.

White told ABC 17 News that “most crashes we work across the state and any given year occur on days just like today,” he said. “It’s because of human error.”

While the details of the deadly crash haven’t been released yet, White said one life lost is too many.

“Last year, we had more than 900 deadly crashes across the state. That means more than 1,000 families and people were hurting because they lost someone,” White said.

Highway Patrol told ABC 17 News it’s unclear why numbers are lower this year.

“Many times, it’s not a single factor, it’s the contributing circumstances in these crashes,” White said. “It’s inattention, sometimes it’s speed, sometimes it’s impairment or alcohol.”

At the beginning of the year, MoDOT rolled out its four-year strategic highway safety plan, “Missouri’s Blueprint- A Partnership Toward Zero Deaths,” aims to lower the number of traffic fatalities. The goal is to reduce the number of deaths by 7 percent each year.