Missouri Crash Hot Spots: The Most Dangerous Roads and Intersections

Where Missouri Traffic Deaths Happen

MoDOT’s preliminary count puts Missouri’s 2025 traffic deaths at 909, down 46 from 955 the year before and the third straight yearly drop. That’s still more than 900 people. Pedestrian and motorcyclist deaths both fell a little, but bicyclist deaths climbed to 25 from 18. Work zones stayed stubborn, with 24 deaths in 2025.

St. Louis stands out for people on foot: 70 of the 139 pedestrians killed in 2025 died there, by MoDOT’s count. Missouri’s new Show-Me Zero plan for 2026 to 2030 says lane departure played a part in more than 75% of traffic deaths over the past five years, and intersections were the scene of 38%. Speeding crashes accounted for 33% of the state’s traffic deaths in 2024.

Missouri Roads Where Serious Crashes Keep Happening

Some of these are interstates everyone knows, and some are two-lane highways that only locals think twice about. Here’s what makes each one tricky, with figures from MoDOT, the Highway Patrol or a city safety plan wherever they’ve been published.

1. Interstate 70: St. Louis to Wentzville

I-70 runs the width of the state, but its busiest stretch on the east end heads out of downtown St. Louis, past the airport, across the Missouri River and through St. Charles, St. Peters, O’Fallon and Lake St. Louis to Wentzville. Commuters, semis and long-haul travelers all squeeze into it, and the backups at rush hour are where the rear-end crashes start.

The fix is under way. MoDOT’s Improve I-70 program is adding a third lane in each direction, and its Warrenton to Wentzville project has been under construction since 2025, with completion targeted for late 2028, so expect work zones for a while. People on foot are at risk here too: MoDOT counted 21 pedestrians killed on Missouri interstates in 2025.

2. U.S. Route 63: Columbia to Jefferson City

U.S. 63 is the main road between Columbia and the state capital, a four-lane divided highway past Ashland that fills up with commuters, state workers and Mizzou traffic. Drivers get comfortable at highway speed, and then a car turns across the median at an at-grade crossing.

South of Jefferson City it keeps going toward Vienna and Rolla on a road with more curves and less room. Deer are a real risk at dusk on this whole corridor. Up north, Improve I-70 is also reconfiguring the I-70 and U.S. 63 interchange in Columbia.

3. Interstate 44: Joplin to Rolla

I-44 crosses southwest Missouri from Joplin past Springfield and Lebanon to Rolla, then on to St. Louis. It’s a major freight route, and a lot of drivers are sharing it with semis on hills through the Ozarks.

Grades slow the trucks, cars bunch up behind them, and someone pulls out to pass without enough room. Fog in the valleys and ice on bridges make winter mornings especially risky.

4. Missouri Route 13: Springfield to Bolivar

Route 13 heads north out of Springfield toward Bolivar, and inside the city it’s Kansas Expressway. That’s where the numbers are: the City of Springfield’s 2024 list of top crash locations puts Kansas Expressway and Sunshine Street, a MoDOT intersection, at the top with 32 crashes, 7 of them injury crashes.

North of town it turns rural. Farm equipment, turning traffic at county roads and long stretches without lights mean drivers need to watch their speed after dark.

5. U.S. Route 36: St. Joseph to Chillicothe

U.S. 36 carries traffic across northern Missouri, from St. Joseph east through Cameron and Hamilton to Chillicothe and beyond. It’s a long, open road through farm country, and that openness tempts people to drive faster than they should.

Slow farm equipment, deer and crossings at small towns are the hazards. Help can also be a long way off on the rural stretches, which is one reason a crash out here can turn deadly.

6. U.S. Route 65: Branson to Springfield

U.S. 65 links Springfield to Ozark and Branson, and on summer weekends it’s packed with tourists who don’t know the road. Hills and curves south of Ozark leave less room for mistakes than the four lanes suggest.

In Springfield, U.S. 65 runs along the east side of town as a freeway. MoDOT’s 2025 safety assessment for people walking and biking includes U.S. 65 on its map of safety projects in the Springfield area, along with Glenstone Avenue, Kearney Street, Chestnut Expressway, National Avenue and Kansas Expressway.

7. Missouri Route 291: Liberty to Lee’s Summit

Route 291 is the eastern Kansas City suburbs’ north to south road. It runs from Liberty across the Missouri River and through Independence down to Lee’s Summit, and its full length stretches from Harrisonville to I-435 near the airport. It meets I-70 in Independence, and that interchange is a busy mix of freight, commuters and shoppers.

Where it runs as a surface street through Independence and Liberty, long signal cycles and crowded turn lanes lead to red-light running and angle crashes. School traffic adds to the crowding in the morning and afternoon.

8. Independence Avenue and U.S. Route 24: Kansas City to Buckner

Independence Avenue carried U.S. 24 through northeast Kansas City until 2021, when MoDOT moved the route onto I-435 and I-70 west of I-435. East of there, U.S. 24 still runs on into Independence and out to Buckner. Independence is one of the 10 corridors on Kansas City’s own list of top fatal and serious-injury crash corridors in its 2022 Vision Zero Action Plan.

The city stretch is lined with businesses, bus stops and people crossing mid-block, so pedestrians are a big part of the risk. Farther east the road opens up, and speeding and passing take over.

More High-Crash Locations Across Missouri

The highways aren’t the whole story. Kansas City, Springfield, Columbia and MoDOT itself have put names and numbers on specific streets and intersections, and these are the ones with published figures.

Kansas City’s plan found that 68% of the city’s fatal and serious-injury crashes happened on just 13% of its streets. In St. Louis, Trailnet’s annual State of Our Streets report (formerly its crash report) named Gravois the city’s most dangerous corridor for people walking and biking in 2025, with Grand second, and put Lindbergh Boulevard first in St. Louis County. In Columbia, the city calls the Business Loop a high-injury corridor and has a safety study under way there.

Some of these roads are getting work. MoDOT and the city are studying the 5.7 miles of Gravois inside St. Louis, with major construction slated for 2029. Springfield reworked Campbell and Grand in March 2025 with new lane layouts and medians, and hard braking there has dropped since. On Natural Bridge Avenue (Route 115) in St. Louis, MoDOT’s 2025 Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment reports that fatal crashes fell 80% and pedestrian crashes fell by more than half after the 2020 and 2021 improvements.

How to Stay Safe on Missouri’s Most Dangerous Roads

None of this means avoiding these roads. It means driving them knowing where the trouble is.

For Drivers:

1. Stay in your lane: Lane departure is a factor in more than three of every four Missouri traffic deaths. On rural highways like U.S. 36 or Route 13, slow down for curves and keep your eyes up.
2. Watch your speed: Speeding crashes accounted for a third of Missouri’s traffic deaths in 2024. Interstates like I-44 and I-70 make it easy to creep over the limit.
3. Treat signals seriously: On busy roads like Route 291 and Kansas Expressway, red-light running and rushed left turns cause a lot of angle crashes. Stop on yellow when you can.
4. Put the phone down: MoDOT counted 96 deaths in distracted driving crashes in 2025 and says the real number is likely higher.
5. Slow down in work zones: With I-70 being widened and up to 1,000 MoDOT work zones on a given day in 2026, merge early and expect stopped traffic.
6. Buckle up every time: Show-Me Zero says unbelted occupants have accounted for about 400 deaths a year in Missouri over the past five years.

For Pedestrians:

1. Cross at signals: On wide streets like Gravois, Prospect and Independence Avenue, crossing mid-block leaves drivers almost no time to react.
2. Make eye contact: Don’t assume a driver has seen you. Wait until the car has fully stopped before you step out.
3. Stay off the interstate shoulder: If your car breaks down on I-70 or I-44, stay behind the guardrail when you can and call for help.

For Cyclists:

1. Use trails and bike lanes: Where they exist, use them. Where they don’t, stay as far right as is safe.
2. Be easy to see: Wear bright colors, run lights at night, and use hand signals so drivers know where you’re headed.
3. Watch intersections closely: Turning drivers often don’t see cyclists. Never assume a driver will yield.

General Tips:

1. Know your route: If your commute includes I-70, U.S. 63 or Route 291, build in time for delays and drive defensively.
2. Check the weather before a long drive: Ice, fog and heavy rain raise the risk, especially on I-44 through the Ozarks and on rural highways.
3. Stay on top of alerts: MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map or a navigation app will show crashes, closures and work zones as they happen.

What to Do If You’re Injured in a Missouri Car Accident

A bad crash on I-70, Gravois or U.S. 65 can leave you hurt and unsure what to do first. What you do in the first hours and days matters, for your health and for your wallet.

1. Call 911. Even if nobody seems badly hurt, get police to the scene. They’ll write the official crash report, which is what insurers go by. If anyone is seriously injured, ask for an ambulance.
2. Get checked out. Concussions and internal injuries don’t always show up right away. Go to the ER or urgent care, and follow up with your own doctor in the days after.
3. Document the scene if you can. If it’s safe, photograph the vehicles, the damage and the license plates, plus skid marks, signs, weather and road conditions. Get witnesses’ names and phone numbers, and swap insurance information with the other driver without admitting fault.
4. Be careful with adjusters. The other driver’s insurance company may call soon after the crash. You can politely decline a recorded statement until you have your crash report and understand your options.
5. Keep everything. Medical records, bills, repair estimates, missed work, and every letter or email from an insurer.

Which agency has your report depends on where you crashed. The Missouri State Highway Patrol investigates crashes on the highways it patrols, and when a city police department or county agency worked the crash, that department holds the report. Our Missouri crash report guide walks through getting a copy from each.

Can’t tell which agency responded, or would rather skip the paperwork? We can get a copy of your report for you at no cost.

Missouri Crash Hot Spot Questions

More Missouri Crash Guides

County accident news: Jackson County · St. Louis County · Greene County · Boone County · St. Charles County · Jefferson County · Franklin County · Jasper County

Nearby states: Illinois crash hot spots · Kansas crash hot spots · Oklahoma crash hot spots

For the latest, crashes from around the state are posted in Missouri accident news and our recent accident alerts.