KSHB 41 Traffic anchor/reporter Daniela Leon covers all sorts of transportation topics across Kansas City. Have a story idea to share or a question about something in your neighborhood? Send Daniela a news tip.
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The Missouri Department of Transportation released data earlier this month on the safety of the state’s roadways since 2022. The data offered good news for motorists, but bad news for pedestrians.
Nearly 150 pedestrians were killed across the state in 2024 according to MoDOT data. That's an increase of 16 percent from 2023.
"It means that the 'Show Me' state is trending in the wrong direction when it comes to the safety of people outside of the car," said Michael Kelley, Policy Director for BikeWalkKC, a KC nonprofit organization advocating for safer streets across the Kansas City region.
More than 950 motorists died last year on Missouri roads, a 4 percent decline from 2023 and a 10 percent decline from 2022.
While each fatal pedestrian crash varies, data indicates many were killed after getting out of their car due to a crash or a mechanical issue.
LINK | Look at the data
KSHB41 spoke with drivers across Kansas City and Independence to gain insight on how often they encounter pedestrians during their drive.
Annette Critchfield is one of those drivers and often sees people crossing the traffic due to lack of crosswalks specifically along 23rd Street and Sterling Avenue in Independence.
“You see a lot of people on the streets, corners and if you’re not paying attention it is kinda scary," said Critchfield. "(We need) more crosswalks and more people need to pay attention."
In 2024, Missouri State Highway Patrol's Troop A, which patrols counties like Platte, Jackson, and Clay, recorded 24 fatal crashes. Three of these crashes took place along Prospect Avenue in Kansas City and other streets like Troost Avenue. Interstate 435 and Missouri Highway 78 also recorded multiple fatal crashes.
U.S. Highway 40 and Chrysler Avenue in Independence was the site of one fatal pedestrian crash last year, according to the same data. Less than two miles from that site, a person was critically injured in January trying to crossHWY 40 near 36th Terrace.
Michael Kelley says HWY 40 could benefit from road diets, which typically involve reducing the number of vehicle lanes and using the space for other things, like bike lanes or wider sidewalks.
"This is a corridor (HWY 40) that is dangerous by design; You see that there is only a sidewalk on one side; There's no crosswalks; There's very limited signage to tell drivers that pedestrians are here," Kelley said. "We need to invest more in things like road diets that allow us to narrow a street and encourage drivers to move at a more reasonable speed. We need to be able to invest in crosswalks, in sidewalks, in specifically making our corridors safer for everyone to use."
A lot of drivers KSHB41 spoke with off-camera in Independence who wanted to know if Independence's elimination of RideKC bus routes would lead to more crashes involving pedestrians.
Independence city council members say it's too early to make that connection.
"We have had pedestrian injuries for a long time, Iris has only been in place since January, so it would be awfully hard to attribute additional pedestrian injuries to lack of public transportation," Independence City Councilman Dr. Bridget McCandless said. "There's just so little time and so little data available for that that I think that doesn't hold together for statistics."
McCandless said the city is also working on a transportation plan and looking at implementing road diets across Independence, other cities like Kansas City have launched initiatives like Vision Zero to tackle traffic fatalities and eliminate them by 2030.
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