Law enforcement address high volume crash areas along Highway 179

Due to a high number of crashes, a Cole County highway is a high priority for both Jefferson City police and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

From 2013 to May of 2016, there were nearly 290 crashes along Highway 179 in Mid-Missouri, according to highway patrol crash data.

So far this year, there have been 61 crashes along the highway in Jefferson City limits, according to Sgt. Doug Ruediger with the Jefferson City Police Department.

The city’s most dangerous intersection also falls along Highway 179. There have been about 18 crashes at the intersection of Highway 179 and West Edgewood, which is more than any other intersection.

The majority of the wrecks are caused by drivers following too closely or distracted driving, according to Ruediger.

“We need motorists and drivers to just pay more attention to what they’re doing, keep their eyes on the road and just be conscious of that following distance,” Ruediger said.

But the issue does not stop at city limits.

Last year, there was a deadly crash on Highway 179 near Route T.

A large portion of crashes on the road are caused by high speed, according to the highway patrol.

“You know outside city limits 179, as I mentioned earlier, is narrow and it’s curvy,” Sgt. Scott White with the highway patrol said. “So we see those problems a lot. Not necessarily just because the roadway is curvy, it’s because a lot of times people, they don’t slow down.”