The most common causes of traffic accidents across Missouri are distracted driving, speeding and aggressive driving, impaired driving, failure to yield, following too closely, driver fatigue, and hazardous weather or road conditions. According to preliminary Missouri Department of Transportation data, 911 people died on Missouri roads in 2025. This is a slight decline for the third straight year, but still an average of more than two deaths every day.
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Speeding and Aggressive Driving
Speed and other aggressive behaviors are the top contributing factors in Missouri’s deadly crashes. Speed shortens the time a driver has to react and increases the force of the eventual impact, which is why speed-related crashes are disproportionately severe.
Distracted Driving
Texting, phone use, in-dash screens, eating, and passenger interactions all pull a driver’s attention from the road. The Missouri Department of Transportation attributed more than 100 Missouri deaths in 2024 to crashes involving distracted driving, and the true number is likely higher, since distraction is notoriously underreported. Missouri’s hands-free law now prohibits drivers from holding a phone behind the wheel.
Impaired Driving
Impaired driving has historically accounted for about one in five Missouri traffic deaths. Impaired drivers react slowly, misjudge distance and speed, and make decisions sober drivers would not. Impairment is also among the strongest evidence of negligence in an injury claim, and it could possibly lead to punitive damages as well.
Failure to Yield
Right-of-way violations cause many of the state’s intersection crashes. This includes running red lights and stop signs, turning left into oncoming traffic, and pulling out of side streets or driveways into the path of approaching vehicles. These collisions often produce T-bone impacts, which strike the least protected part of a vehicle.
Following Too Closely
Tailgating doesn’t leave enough room for the trailing driver to stop if traffic ahead slows down. At highway speeds, a safe following distance is measured in seconds, not car lengths, and a driver who ignores that margin is usually liable when the vehicle ahead brakes.
Driver Fatigue
Drowsy drivers show many of the same deficits as impaired ones, including slowed reactions, reduced attention span, and poor judgment. Fatigue is a particular concern in crashes involving commercial trucks, overnight shift workers, and long rural drives, and like distraction, it often goes undetected in crash reports.
Why the Cause of Your Crash Matters
The cause determines who is legally responsible and what evidence proves it. A distracted-driving case may turn on cell phone records, where an accident that was caused by speeding may rely on event data recorders. Identifying the cause early on allows you to know what type of evidence may be most important to collect.
Injured in a Missouri Crash? Call Us To Get Answers Today
Nearly every cause on this list traces back to a decision another driver made. If someone else’s choice left you injured, you don’t have to sort out fault, insurance, and medical bills on your own. If a loved one passed due to negligence, our Missouri wrongful death attorneys will review the situation and help you determine what to do next.
Call (314) 300-6260 and schedule your free consultation today.