MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL
a division of the
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

Troop I Headquarters, P.O. Box 128, Rolla, Mo 65402


News Release

For further information please contact: Sergeant Dan Crain
573-368-2345
January 10, 2014
I01G14

EMPHASIS: Reduction In Traffic Fatalities In Troop I Area From 2012 To 2013


Captain Lee Ann H. Kenley, commanding officer of Troop I, is pleased to announce a 34 percent reduction in traffic fatalities for the six county Troop I area for 2013 when compared to 2012.
In 2013, Troop I officers investigated 24 fatal traffic crashes, while other law enforcement agencies within the boundaries of Troop I investigated crashes that resulted in five fatalities. The 2013 total of 29 traffic fatalities is 15 less than the 44 traffic fatalities that occurred in Troop I the previous year. Preliminary statistics show that statewide traffic fatalities dropped from 826 in 2012 to 755 last year. These same statistics indicate there was a decrease in total number of traffic crashes last year in Missouri, when compared to 2012.
Captain Kenley stated, “Our troopers will continue to vigorously enforce all traffic laws, with a special emphasis on the detection of hazardous moving violations. Driving while impaired or distracted, over the posted speed limit, or traveling too fast for conditions are all common examples of what our troopers see daily as the contributing circumstances to needless crashes. In our efforts to reduce the severity of those crashes, we will continue our policy of zero tolerance when enforcing the seat belt and child restraint laws. Past statistics gathered from Missouri traffic crashes show that a driver’s chance of being killed in a traffic crash if they are not wearing a seat belt is about 42 times greater than for the driver who was buckled-up."
The Patrol encourages motorists and watercraft operators to protect themselves by making sure everyone in the vehicle is properly restrained in a seat belt or child restraint and everyone in the vessel is wearing an approved life jacket. Click It 4 Life and Wear It!
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