Road fatalities from car accidents in Missouri spiked over the July Fourth Holiday. However, those numbers have actually declined slightly over the first six months of 2017 from what they were the year before. This decline runs contrary to the trend over the past few years, which has seen car accidents deaths rise across the U.S. over the past few years.
Costly July Fourth on the Roads of Missouri
Fatal car accidents have a history of spiking on the July Fourth Holiday. On a yearly basis, July 4th is the worst day for deadly car crashes in the whole year, even beating out New Year’s Day for the spot at the bottom. To make matters even worse, July 3rd and July 5th are also among the worst days of the year for fatal crashes.
This year in Missouri proved to be no exception. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Fourth of July weekend saw 494 car crashes in our state. A total of 14 people died in those crashes. This more than doubled the fatality total from last year’s holiday weekend, when only 5 people were killed.
A lone bright spot in our state was the northwest corner. Troop H of the Highway Patrol reported no road fatalities in their portion of the state, which includes some populated areas like St. Joseph.
Yearly Car Accident Fatalities Down
Despite the increase in the number of road fatalities during Independence Day, the number of people who have died in car accidents in Missouri so far this year is down slightly.
Through the first half of 2017, there have been 439 vehicle fatalities in Missouri. While seemingly high, this is actually 8 less than the total for the first half of 2016. However, both years were terrible in comparison with the first half of 2015, when there were only 367 car accident deaths.
While this year’s improvement might seem insignificant, road fatalities from car crashes have been skyrocketing across the country over the past couple of years. Between the two-year period from start of 2015 to the end of 2016, car accident deaths in the U.S. increased by nearly 14%. This was the largest increase in more than 50 years.
With this rise in mind, Missouri’s decrease in the number of car accident fatalities so far this year – even if it is only by a small number – is significant and refreshing to see.
St. Joseph Car Accident Attorneys at the Smith Law Office
Even though these statistics show some improvement, until car accidents are a thing of the past, people will continue to suffer life-altering personal injuries on the road. If you’re the victim of a car accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence, you deserve to be compensated for your losses.
The personal injury attorneys at the Smith Law Office in St. Joseph work to represent car accident victims in St. Joseph and the surrounding area, including Kansas City. Contact us online or call our law office at (816) 875-9373 for the legal help you need.