Recently released Missouri State Highway Patrol statistics indicate that, this year, the Fourth of July holiday period was significantly less deadly out on Missouri’s roads than was the case last year.

For this year, the Fourth of July holiday period was defined as being the period going from 6:00 p.m. July 3 to 11:59 p.m. July 6. During this period, there were six motor vehicle accident deaths on roads in the state, according to the state patrol numbers. This is much lower than the fatality count from the 2013 Fourth of July holiday period, which was 19.

This year’s Fourth of July period also saw drops as compared to last year’s period when it came to:

• DWI arrests by the state patrol: This year there were 142, last year there were 199.
• Number of traffic accidents the state patrol had to work: This year there were 263, last year there were 358.
• Number of injuries in state-patrol-worked crashes: This year there were 121, last year there were 157.

All of these reductions are potentially encouraging ones. One wonders what caused them. Did Missouri drivers, perhaps, do a better job of putting a focus on safe driving this year than they did last year?

If the drops were the result of safer driving, one hopes such greater care on the roads will continue throughout the rest of this year. Taking great care when out on the roads is not something to do solely during holiday seasons when the roads are crowded, it is something that should be done year-round.

Individuals who have been injured or have lost a family member because another driver out on Missouri’s roads failed to drive in a safe manner can have an attorney look into the matter for them and talk them through their legal options.

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Traffic deaths down, fatalities on water up during Fourth of July weekend,” Doug Moore, July 8, 2014