The Deadliest Roads in Missouri [Study 2026]

Every day, St. Louis drivers navigate a mix of busy commercial, residential, and high-speed roadways. Some of these roads see far more crashes than others, with some tragically ending in fatalities. The accident attorneys at Meyerkord & Kurth decided to analyze which roads in Missouri are the deadliest in order to spread awareness to both locals and visitors.

The data below is drawn from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database, maintained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). We analyzed all fatal crashes recorded from 2021 to 2024 to determine the ten deadliest roads based on total fatalities, as well as statewide fatal crash trends across those years.

It’s important to note that the roads on this list vary in length, so absolute fatality counts aren’t directly comparable. Since these rankings are based on total fatalities rather than fatalities per mile, they should be treated simply as a list of roads where drivers should exercise extra caution.

Read on to learn which Missouri roads had the most fatalities, as well as guidance on what to do if you’re involved in a serious crash.

Key Takeaways

• Truman Rd dominated the list of the deadliest roads in Missouri, with a total of 30 crash fatalities from 2021 to 2024.
• The deadliest year was 2022, with 1,057 traffic fatalities. Fatalities then declined for two consecutive years, reaching a low of 955 in 2024, a 9.7% decrease.
• Nearly half of Missouri’s crash fatalities occurred in Kansas City (47%).

1. Truman Road [Kansas City] – 30 Fatalities

Truman Road is the state’s deadliest road for traffic fatalities. As the longest east-west surface street in the city, this busy street in Kansas City carries a great deal of commuter and commercial traffic. Heavy volume and frequent lane changes make it particularly crash-prone.

Most collisions occur near traffic lights, where drivers making left turns or running red lights frequently crash. High speeds and limited pedestrian access along much of this street have contributed to its persistently high fatality rate for years.

2. West Florissant Avenue [St. Louis] – 28 Fatalities

West Florissant Avenue directly connects St. Louis to Ferguson. The corridor includes significant amounts of residential neighborhoods, businesses, and strip malls. Because of all these shopping centers, drivers are constantly pulling into and out of driveways, creating dangerous conflict spots along much of the road.

Heavy traffic, numerous intersections, fast speeds, and frequent pedestrian activity make this long stretch of road particularly difficult to navigate safely.

3. Troost Avenue [Kansas City] – 20 Fatalities

As one of the city’s primary north-south surface streets, Troost Avenue carries a significant amount of through traffic and provides access to numerous neighborhoods and businesses. Long, flat, and sometimes wide sections of the roadway can encourage higher speeds, while busy intersections contribute to serious and fatal crashes. Neighborhood streets and driveways that connect directly to Troost also create frequent points of conflict, increasing the risk of angles and other types of collisions.

Although redevelopment along the corridor has helped address some safety concerns, it has yet to produce a significant reduction in crash rates.

4. (Tie) Grand Boulevard [St. Louis] – 18 Fatalities

Grand Boulevard, one of the city’s busiest streets, sees heavy traffic across its wide, multi-lane layout. This east-to-west street serves as one of the important bus and public transit routes in St. Louis, and has a significant number of automotive businesses along it.

The sheer width of the road and number of lanes provide high potential for speeding and frequent lane changes with drivers passing each other, which can lead to accidents.

4. (Tie) Prospect Avenue [Kansas City] – 18 Fatalities

Prospect Avenue also recorded 18 deaths. It is a connecting road between various communities and is therefore busy with local traffic and hence prone to accidents at intersections and turns.

6. Sunshine Street [Springfield] – 17 Fatalities

Sunshine Street rounds out the middle of the list with 17 fatalities. Despite being a smaller route than some others on this list, its crash history highlights how even lower-profile streets can carry real risk.

However, the commercial and retail growth along this road makes driving stressful for nearby residents and commuters. High volumes of worker and customer traffic create constant weaving and turning conflicts, particularly near strip malls and office buildings.

7. National Avenue [Springfield] – 16 Fatalities

There were 16 deaths on National Avenue during the study years. This particular avenue is made up of commercial as well as residential traffic and has multiple access points, which makes it a dangerous road for accidents. The commercial activities and driveways along the road, combined with its high-speed characteristics, make it a place where there are many fatal accidents.

Commercial zones tend to be quite complex places where people drive fast, but pedestrians are also walking to and from strip malls.

8. Jennings Station Road [St. Louis] – 15 Fatalities

Jennings Station Road is situated in a densely populated residential area in the north and central parts of the city and links up with the suburbs of the northeast and east. There is commuter and commercial traffic on the road that results in many turns and some speeding. 

There are several points on Jennings Station Road where the visibility of crossing traffic could be restricted by roadside elements.

9. Blue Ridge Boulevard [Kansas City] – 14 Fatalities

There were fourteen documented deaths on Blue Ridge Boulevard during the years of the study. Blue Ridge Boulevard acts as a significant connection point, and the traffic conditions reflect the same challenges faced on other roads in this list.

Unlike the other roads, Blue Ridge Boulevard has more hills and curves, which can make it harder for drivers to see what is ahead and navigate intersections safely. As one of the roads carrying high-speed traffic through relatively less populated areas, Blue Ridge Boulevard serves as a crucial east-west connection between different sections of the city.

10. Chambers Road [St. Louis] – 13 Fatalities

In last place is Chambers Road, with 13 deaths recorded. Just like many others on the list, Chambers Road is a street that provides an easy connection to high-speed roadways.

An essential road connecting many of the most central areas in St. Louis, Chambers Road has a large amount of both local traffic and cross-town car movement. Similar to many other streets that provide access to dense neighborhoods, there are a lot of places on Chambers Road that can prove to be quite deadly due to the large number of residential streets and driveways feeding into the boulevard.

Missouri’s Fatal Crash Trend: 2021 to 2024

Statewide fatal crash totals have shifted noticeably over the past four years:

The data shows a peak in 2022, followed by two consecutive years of decline. From 2022 to 2024, fatalities dropped by roughly 9.7%, suggesting that safety efforts, enforcement changes, or infrastructure improvements may be having a measurable effect. Even so, the total of 4,019 fatalities across the four-year span underscores that serious crashes remain a persistent problem across the city’s roadways.

What To Do After An Accident in St. Louis, MO

A declining crash trend doesn’t mean the risk is gone. If you’re involved in a serious collision on one of these roads, the steps you take afterward matter; here’s what to know:

Call 911 and Check for Injuries

Call emergency services immediately, even for what seems like a minor fender-bender. Dispatchers can send police, EMS, and fire response if needed, and having police on scene means an official crash report gets filed, something insurance companies and, if needed, accident attorneys will rely on later. Adrenaline is a powerful painkiller in the moments after a crash, so injuries like concussions, soft-tissue damage, or internal bleeding may not register until hours or even a day later. 

Be as specific as possible when you give your location (mile markers, cross streets, exit numbers). Stay on the line to receive further instructions and do not move any individuals that have neck or back injuries unless it is immediately necessary because of fire.

Move to Safety If Possible

If the vehicles are still drivable and everyone seems okay, get them out of active traffic lanes onto the shoulder, a median, or a nearby parking lot. Staying in a live lane, especially on a highway or high-speed corridor, dramatically raises the risk of a secondary crash. Turn on hazard lights right away, and if you have flares, triangles, or cones, place them well behind the vehicles to give approaching traffic time to react. 

If a car is too damaged to move or someone is seriously hurt, leave it in place and instead focus on getting people to safety and out of the flow of traffic if it’s safe to do so.

Document the Scene

After making sure you and the others involved are safe, take out your camera phone and take pictures of everything: the damage to all the vehicles from several angles, license plates, skid marks, road/debris/weather conditions, traffic signals/road signs, and any injuries that are evident. In addition to close-up photographs, wide shots that include the overall scene and position of the vehicles are also important. Write down (and/or voice-record) the exact time, location, and weather conditions at the scene.

These pictures can become the foundation for your insurance claim, or, if fault is in question, a court case.

Exchange Information

Get the names and phone numbers of both drivers involved. Get the name and contact information of the insurance company and policy number of both parties. Get the driver’s license number and the license plate number of each car involved.

Also, gather the same information of the car’s owner if the car owner was not the one driving at the time of the accident.

Seek Medical Attention

Even when you think you are “fine,” it would be worthwhile to get yourself examined, preferably on the very same day. Injuries such as whiplash injury, concussion, or internal injuries may take some time before the symptoms start showing up, and delaying seeking treatment will provide grounds for the insurance company to say that your injuries have not been caused by the accident at all.

Notify Your Insurance Company

It is important that you inform your insurance company as soon as possible, as most insurance policies include clauses for timely notification of accidents. You should only stick to the facts, that is, what took place and when, and do not draw conclusions about who caused the accident, since it usually happens based on the findings of the police investigation.

Consider Consulting a St. Louis Car Accident Attorney

If you were involved in a crash that caused significant injury, fault is being contested, or if the insurance company is lowballing or denying a claim, talking to our St. Louis accident lawyer at Meyerkord & Kurth can help you understand your options before you sign anything or accept a settlement. 

This is particularly worth considering on roads with a history of severe or fatal crashes, where injuries tend to be more serious and claims more complex. If you have been involved in a crash on any of these roads, schedule your free consultation today.