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State Route 72
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 32Deaths 36Counties 7Latest data year 2024
FARS data are based on police crash reports and other sources; the drunk-driving measure is based on the highest BAC of any driver in the crash. Latest data year: 2024. The route is the trafficway recorded for each crash (FARS TWAY_ID); the same route number in another state has its own page.
Between 2015 and 2024, FARS records 32 fatal crashes on State Route 72 in Missouri, with 36 deaths.
That is 0.4% of the 8,801 fatal crashes in Missouri over the same years. The ten-year crash count rose 60% from 20 in 2005–2014 to 32 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in Bollinger County (8), Madison County (6) and Phelps County (6) and 4 other counties.
18.8% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (Missouri: 27.5%) and 9.4% had a speeding-related driver (36.5%); pedestrians were 8.3% and motorcyclists 25.0% of those killed.
Fatal crashes per year
Route identification in FARS is consistent from 2000; earlier years are not shown. Shaded band: the ten-year window used for the shares below.
Compared with all fatal crashes in Missouri
| Measure | State Route 72 | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 32 | 8,801 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 36 | 9,557 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 0.4% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | +60% | +7% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on SR-72 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bollinger County | 8 | 25% | 31 |
| 2 | Madison County | 6 | 19% | 27 |
| 3 | Phelps County | 6 | 19% | 97 |
| 4 | Dent County | 5 | 16% | 34 |
| 5 | Cape Girardeau County | 4 | 13% | 104 |
| 6 | Iron County | 2 | 6% | 25 |
| 7 | Reynolds County | 1 | 3% | 37 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on State Route 72 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the Missouri share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 0–5 | 8 | 25% |
| Mile 5–10 | 8 | 25% |
| Mile 15–20 | 7 | 22% |
| Mile 10–15 | 4 | 13% |
| Mile 20–25 | 1 | 3% |
| Mile 30–35 | 1 | 3% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 93.8% of crashes on the route have a milepoint. Milepoints are as recorded by the state and can restart at county or district lines.
Other routes in Missouri
- Interstate 70 346
- Interstate 44 272
- Interstate 55 178
- US Route 61 158
- US Route 60 156
- US Route 63 150
- US Route 67 136
- US Route 54 118
- US Route 65 115
- US Route 50 111
- Interstate 435 101
- State Route 13 99
All routes and counties in Missouri
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on State Route 72 in Missouri?
32 fatal crashes with 36 deaths over 2015–2024, per NHTSA's FARS. The route is the trafficway recorded for the crash; the same numbered route in another state has its own page.
Which counties along State Route 72 had the most fatal crashes?
Bollinger County (8), Madison County (6), Phelps County (6), Dent County (5) and Cape Girardeau County (4).
What share of crashes on State Route 72 involved alcohol or speeding?
18.8% had a driver reported as drinking and 9.4% a speeding-related driver, against 27.5% and 36.5% for all fatal crashes in Missouri.
When do fatal crashes happen on State Route 72?
31.3% of the crashes were between 6pm and 6am. The hour chart on this page shows the full distribution.
Provenance
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, annual national CSV files 2000–2024 (accident, vehicle and person tables), public domain. Route pages are built for signed Interstate, US and state routes with at least 20 fatal crashes in 2015–2024. Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026. See methodology and corrections.