Special Report: Fatal Distraction

Ahead of one of the busiest travel periods of the year this Thanksgiving holiday, 2016 is on its way to being the deadliest year for crashes in Missouri in nearly a decade.

So far this year, 829 people have died on Missouri roadways.

From 2006 to 2014, deadly crashes were on a general downward trend.

But last year, the number of deaths outpaced the previous year by more than 100.

And in 2016, the 829 victims mean there have been about 50 more deaths so far this year compared to this time last November.

Mid-Missouri resident Aron Jones lost his daughter Karlie this past July after his daughter and friend Caleb McClain died in a crash on Highway 54.

“Two wonderful children were lost…I’d like something done,” Jones said.

Jones is one of many asking for answers after hundreds of deadly crashes across the state.

ABC 17 News asked the Missouri State Highway Patrol why there has been a recent spike in state crash deaths.

“One of the biggest things is since the price of gas has gone down we have seen a tremendous amount of increase in the number of miles that are traveled,” Capt. John Hotz with the MSHP said. “And so, when we see that increase in the additional miles traveled out there, there are more chances for crashes to take place.”

Missouri currently has the fourth lowest gas prices in the country with an average of $1.89 a gallon, according to GasBuddy.com. That has fallen dramatically since the highest recorded average gas price in the state at $3.94 a gallon in 2008.

With the lower gas prices, vehicles miles traveled in the state jumped up 1.6 billion miles from 2013 to 2014, according to the latest data from the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety.

There are three main factors that lead to many of these crashes, according to the highway patrol.

“Inattention, of course, is the leading cause of all crashes, then we have speed, and of course impaired driving is the number three cause,” Hotz said.

Texting and driving, which falls into the number one cause of crashes, is a growing problem, according to Highway Safety Director Bill Whitfield.

“Often times you’re looking away for a minimum of five seconds,” Whitfield said. “And so in essence, for that time you’re driving while blind.”

Hotz said texting and driving becomes an issue when drivers think they can multitask.

So ABC 17 News put it to the test in a set up closed driving course.

On the first run, ABC 17’s Lindsey Berning drove right through a stop sign.

On a different part of the course, Lindsey did not have enough time to react before running over an obstacle thrown into the road since she was texting.

And on the third try, she drove off the right side of the road.

“That causes people to panic and of course jerk the wheel really hard,” Hotz said. “And then that’s what over 50 percent of the time, that’s what is killing people out here on the road.”

ABC 17 News reported last year, the coalition for roadway safety had a goal to reduce crash deaths to 700 or fewer by the end of 2016. But with more than 100 deaths above that number already, the state will not reach that goal.

ABC 17 News asked officials if anything is being done to change the trend.

“We need to step back and really not look at reasons or excuses maybe for why these fatalities are going up, but look at the culture of the drivers,” Whitfield said.

The coalition recently released a four-year strategic highway safety plan that kicks off January 1.

The plan called “Missouri’s Blueprint- A Partnership Toward Zero Deaths” identified five strategies to bring down those numbers.

One: change the traffic safety culture–in part by educating drivers on the dangers of distracted, aggressive and impaired driving.

Two: implement highway safety legislation–including a cell phone ban for all drivers, a primary seat belt law and increase transportation funding.

Three: increase enforcement efforts–by focusing on high-crash corridors and work zones and holding more sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols.

Four: implement engineering solutions–such as installing more shoulders with rumble strips, innovative intersection designs and improving curve safety.

Five: enhance pedestrian safety–by installing or improving signage, signals and pavement markings.

Whitfield said the blueprint established a new goal of zero deaths on Missouri roadways.

“If you ask anyone in your family, or your coworkers or your friends what’s an acceptable number for them to lose due to a traffic crash, the answer will always come back zero,” Whitfield said.

Officials could not say exactly how much the efforts will cost, but said it will be up to everyone from state, city and county governments to the dozens of agencies that worked together on the blueprint.

The coalition still has an interim goal of reaching 700 or fewer deaths in a year before it can reach zero.