JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri traffic fatalities have reached a 25-year low.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Tuesday that 941 people died in traffic crashes in 2008. That number still could change slightly, if some injury victims die.
The total is the lowest since 1983, when 921 people were killed in traffic accidents.
Highway Patrol Capt. Tim Hull attributes the decline to a variety of factors, including increased law enforcement, public awareness campaigns and new safety cables in the medians of some highways.
Traffic fatalities have declined 25 percent since a high mark of 1,257 in 2005.
The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety has set a goal of reducing traffic fatalities to 850 by 2012.