Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, provides the following preliminary statistics related to the Christmas holiday weekend: Two people died in traffic crashes during the 78-hour counting period, which began at 6 p.m. Friday, December 22, 2023, and ended at 11:59 p.m. Monday, December 25, 2023.
Troopers investigated the following:
Traffic Crashes – 124
Traffic Crash Injuries – 71
Traffic Crash Fatalities – 2
DWI – 81
[Note: Last year during the 78-hour Christmas counting period, there were 1,017 traffic crashes statewide. In those crashes, four people were killed and another 318 were injured. During the 2022 Christmas holiday, troopers investigated 306 traffic crashes which included three fatalities and 84 injuries. Troopers arrested 52 people for driving while impaired in 2022.]