Last year, 178 people were killed and more than 14,000 people injured in traffic crashes in St. Louis City and County.

For the fourth year in a row, the number of people walking who were killed in crashes increased in St. Louis City, and for the first time since data was tracked, St. Louis County saw the total number of traffic deaths exceed 100.

In both city and county, these crashes occurred at disproportionately higher rates in predominantly Black and minority communities.

This grim accounting and other key findings are part of Trailnet’s “2021 St. Louis City and County Crash Report.” This report is a snapshot and analysis of traffic violence in the region and lays out recommendations for governments to better-address these deaths.

“This data confirms what most people know intuitively: wide roads with fast moving cars are dangerous. Our governments need to do more to prevent these unnecessary deaths and act now,” said Sam McCrory, Trailnet’s program coordinator and the main author of the report.

“We’re focused first and foremost on the needs and safety of people walking, biking, and using transit, but these crashes can affect everyone and ripple through our community. As a region, we need to address these crashes based on the data and needs of the community,” said Cindy Mense, Trailnet’s CEO.

The report is based on data from the Missouri Statewide Traffic Accident Records System, which catalogs crash information from law enforcement agencies across the state.

In addition to reporting crash data, the report features suggested solutions to reduce deaths and injuries. These solutions include addressing high-crash corridors, reducing speeding through street design, improving safety near bus stops and adopting a need-based approach to traffic safety.

Other key takeaways include:

Over the last five years in the City of St. Louis, nine roads were responsible for 40 percent of crashes affecting pedestrians and 46 percent of pedestrian deaths. These high-crash corridors make up only 1.5 percent of the city’s road network. In St. Louis County, over that same five-year window, eight roads accounted for 34 percent of pedestrian crashes and 45 percent of pedestrian deaths.

Ninety-five percent of pedestrian deaths in the city and county occurred on streets with speed limits of 30 mph or greater.

Thirty-two percent of deadly car crashes involved at least one car speeding.

In the city 36 percent of pedestrian crashes occurred within 200 feet of a bus stop.

Visit trailnet.org/2021-crash-report to read the full report.