A report released by the Missouri State Highway Patrol found that the number of traffic fatalities over the fourth of July holiday nearly tripled from last year’s counting period.
Sergeant Clark Parrott, Public Information Officer of MSHP’s Troop E, says 494 traffic accidents were reported across the state, which resulted in 14 fatalities.
“If you look at the fatalities we had, it seemed like an inordinate amount were on motorcycles, ATVs, or UTVs where people were not utilizing safety devices like helmets or seat belts,” explained Parrott.
In addition to traffic accidents, 172 DWI’s were issued statewide.
Although numbers are higher in traffic crashes, no fatalities were reported as a result of boating crashes or drowning incidents, which Parrott says is something to be proud of.