Missouri Coalition Wants Fewer Than 850 Traffic Deaths

A Missouri highway safety coalition has set a new goal of cutting annual traffic accident deaths to less than 850 by 2012, which would be the lowest mark since 1949.

The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety wanted to get highway deaths below 1,000 by this year. It met that target a year early with 992 Missouri traffic deaths in 2007.

The coalition includes the Missouri Department of Transportation and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

One of the group’s top priorities has been urging lawmakers to let police stop a driver solely for a seat belt violations. Rural lawmakers have been the main obstacle to that legislation.