‘They’re on their phones. They’re not focused’: 709 people killed on Missouri roads so far this year

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Transportation and local law enforcement are asking drivers to put their phones down as traffic deaths continue to rise in Missouri.

MoDOT held its Missouri Highway Safety and Traffic Conference this week where they discussed several topics including what is leading to the increase.

"I think if you were to ask most drivers out there on the roadway, what's leading to this increase, I think folks can see if when they're out there," MoDOT engineer Nicole Hood said. "You see people that are speeding. You see people who are driving distracted. They're on their phones. They're not focused. We also have folks that are driving impaired and that could be drugs, it could be alcohol."

Hood said so far this year there have been 709 traffic deaths, and last year there was a total of 1,057 traffic-related deaths in the state.

"It's the third year in a row that we've seen an increase in fatalities. If you look over the last decade we've had a 40% increase in traffic fatalities and last year was the highest we've seen since 2006," Hood said.

Recently, a Sedalia man suffered serious injuries after court documents say Ethan Daniels, 20, of California, Missouri, hit him with his truck earlier this week while Daniels was allegedly looking down at his cellphone.

Daniels allegedly told a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper that he looked down at his phone “between two and four seconds,” and saw a yellow flash when he looked up, felt a bump and heard a noise, according to the probable cause statement.

Hood said MoDOT is greatful for the state's hands-free driving laws that were passed earlier this year.

The hands-free law prohibits any use of an electronic device, like a cellphone, while behind the wheel aside from hands-free devices like Bluetooth or Apple Play. Although the hands-free law went into effect last month, there is a grace period where law enforcement can only give warnings rather than tickets. Officers can start enforcing penalties on Jan. 1, 2025.

"So we were very thankful that the General Assembly and Governor Parson recognized the need for a hands-free law in Missouri," Hood said.

However, local law enforcement said they are still seeing texting and driving as they patrol the roadways.

"Despite the law change, we still have a, um, you know, quite a few people out there on their phones, whether they're texting and driving or updating social media or email or whatever it is," MSHP Cpl. Kyle Green said. "You know, it's it's very easy to drive around and see several people still on their phones, which is disappointing for right now."

Green said that texting and driving can be extremely dangerous.

"It's just the ability to maintain focus on the roadway. So obviously, if you're looking down at your phone and checking in email, that's a distraction. The average person looks down for, you know, anywhere from 4 to 6 seconds per message when they're reading something over," Green said. "If you think about it, that's a pretty long period considering how far your vehicle can travel in 4 to 6 seconds and you have no idea whether somebody is pulled out in front of you or stopping or if there's a red light or a stop sign."

MoDOT said the agencies work with multiple other agencies and groups to help educate drivers on the importance of buckling up, putting your phone down and paying attention on the roadways.