Missouri traffic fatalities are down more than one-third during the last six years and continue to fall.
For its traffic safety efforts, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has earned a national highway safety award.
MoDOT received the Governors Highway Safety Association's Peter K. O'Rourke Special Achievement Award for its work saving lives on Missouri highways.
"We have shown what can be accomplished when we all work together toward a common goal," said Highway Safety Director Leanna Depue. "We are grateful for this recognition, but we're even more thankful for the fact that more Missourians are making it home safely to their loved ones."
Even though the number of miles traveled continues to climb, traffic fatalities in Missouri have decreased by 35 percent since 2005. In the last six years, that 35 percent drop in fatalities means 1,538 lives have been saved through combined safety efforts.
During this year, Missouri traffic fatalities are down by more than 12 percent, according to the Highway Patrol. Last year at this time 604 people were killed in Missouri highway accidents, compared to 527 this year.