Traffic fatalities down in Missouri

Intro:	Fewer Missourians died on the roads last year, but MO-DOT says credit shouldn't be given to the bad economy. Scott Kanowsky has more from Jefferson City.
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Wrap: Figures released by the U.S. Transportation Department Thursday show nearly 9 percent fewer accidents happened in Missouri in 2009.

Missouri had nearly 80 fewer deaths in that time.

But MO-DOT spokesman Jorma Duran says the struggling U.S. economy has nothing to do with it.

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Description: "I'm really not going to attach the decrease in fatalities because our economy was in a sluggish situation. I have 100 percent confidence that the decrease in fatalities had everything to do with the traffic improvement we put in place across the state of Missouri."

Duran says more state money from a 2005 vote helped fund these improvements.

He says he expects to see the number continue to decline.

From the state Capitol, I'm Scott Kanowsky, NewsRadio 1120 KMOX.

Intro:	Numbers out Thursday prove Missourians were safer on the roads over the past year. Scott Kanowsky has more from Jefferson City.
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Wrap: The U.S. Transportation Department says Missourians got into nearly 9 percent fewer accidents last year than in 2008.

In '09, fewer than 900 people died in traffic accidents.

That's down more than 50 from 2008.

Alcohol-related traffic deaths also fell in the Show-Me state.

But the drop is less than the national average.

Traffic fatalities fell nearly 10 percent nationwide.

From the state Capitol, I'm Scott Kanowsky, NewsRadio 1120 KMOX.

Intro:	Fewer Missourians are dying on roads and the state's Highway Patrol says that's because there are more cops on the road. Scott Kanowsky has more from Jefferson City.
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Wrap: Numbers released Thursday say nearly 9 percent fewer Missourians died on the roads in 2009.

The Missouri Highway Patrol's reasoning?

More troopers are spending more time on the roads looking for bad drivers.

Highway Patrol spokesman Captain Tim Hull.

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Description: "That extra visibility has a tendency to slow people down, has a tendency to remind people to put their seatbelts on so there's a lot of good things that come from that visibility. So writing tickets, no, that's not just going to work by itself."

And Hull adds that troopers did not write an increased number of citations.

From the state Capitol, I'm Scott Kanowsky, NewsRadio 1120 KMOX.