The issue is HWY 22's outdated structure, specifically the 13.7 mile stretch between Mexico, going to Centrailia. 

We, as smaller communities, face severe risks that need the support from places like the Missouri Dept. of Transportation.I do not consider this a petition, because calling it that, feels too aggressive. I am calling this a COMMUNITY REQUEST WITH URGENCY. I debated for a long time about whether or not to do this, and once I did, I was met with TWO responses...

1. "Good luck getting MODOT to do anything." immediately followed with...
2. ROUTE B is worse 

I was met with a pat on the back for my efforts, and I was told my fatality data would not be enough for MoDot engineers to consider spending millions to re-do these two roads.

The MSHP crash data that I compared personally, revealed the following:

HWY 22: 2016-2026: About 30 accidents 4 of those deaths.

Route B 2016-2026: About 70 accidents 5 of those deaths. Route B does also matter, but I am addressing Audrain County. I fully support Route B getting safety improvements as well, and I hope some day someone advocates for Boone County. Right now though, this is about Audrain. 

Not all of these accidents reflect road issues; accidents where an animal, or debris were involved, might not count in such data. 

But, these are not just stretches of pavement. They are where lives have been shattered. It does not just reflect recent events. These roads are where families get phone calls that change everything. It’s where RURAL communities must carry the weight of preventable loss. It's about protecting rural families moving forward. 

I’m not speaking on this as an outsider.

I’m speaking as someone who has seen what these accidents have done to families, to children, to entire small towns that never fully recover. My own father passed away in a tragic rural car accident when I was just 13. I have personally seen what car accidents in rural Missouri, do to the lives of those in such rural areas. 

These roads ARE narrow. ESPECIALLY 22 WHERE THE GRAVEL TOUCHES THE BLACKTOP. It lacks adequate shoulders. On HWY 22, there is little to no room for driver error, no margin for the unexpected, no forgiveness for a split-second mistake. And yet, people drive it every. single. day. because they have NO OTHER reasonable route.

In rural Missouri, we do not have the luxury of alternate highways. We don’t have quick emergency response times. When a crash happens here, it’s not just an accident, it’s often catastrophic.

And then comes the ripple effect, which Modot engineers do NOT figure into their stats. This is where we need MoDot to understand it is no longer about statistics, it is NOW about the DEEPLY PROFOUND EMOTIONAL LASTING IMPACT AND EFFECT ON RURAL AREAS. 

We cannot limit resolution to blaming the drivers. We can't control drivers, but we can make them pay attention to the road. Blaming drivers only allows for the systematic issues that can be fixed, to be ignored. The driver does not make the road bad, but the road makes the accidents severe. 

In small communities, tragedy does not stay contained to the blacktop. It spreads,

Through classrooms where empty desks suddenly appear
Through workplaces where someone never comes back
Through families who are left trying to rebuild without a piece of themselves. 

Road design matters.

When a roadway consistently sees serious accidents, injuries, and fatalities, we have to ask the HARDER question: Why hasn’t it been fixed?

As someone with a background in psychology and criminal justice, I understand the risk, behavior, and systems. When the same outcome keeps happening in the same place, it is no longer coincidence, t is a failure of infrastructure and prevention.

We cannot keep placing all responsibility on drivers while ignoring known hazards:

GRAVEL TOUCHES BLACKTOP

-Narrow lanes
-Insufficient or nonexistent shoulders 
-Limited recovery space
-High-speed traffic with no margin for error
-These are not minor issues. These are contributing factors to deadly outcomes.

And rural communities deserve better.

We deserve roads that are designed with safety in mind, not roads that feel like they’re simply waiting for the next tragedy.

We deserve proactive solutions, not reactive condolences. And while we understand that the fatality data may not be enough for Modot to spend millions, we do know that as rural communities, we can and must come together to request IMMEDIATE safety measure be taken such as: a study of this stretch of road, distinct rumble strips, street lights, reduced speeds, reduced passing zones, signs, reflectors, guardrails where needed, and blacktop work removing all gravel on HWY 22 as an immediate priority please. It is 2026, we need to be providing the safety standards of 2026 traffic flow even in rural areas.

This is not an unreasonable request. It is the bare minimum for rural safety.

Every signature on this petition is a voice saying: enough is enough.

Enough funerals.
Enough accidents.
Enough families being torn apart.

The problem with the world today is, everyone waits for the NEXT person to take action, and then everyone is waiting around, while nothing gets done. USE your signature, and voice, to bring awareness to the MODOT about the dangers of HWY 22, and the deep impacts that regularly occurring accidents have, on rural towns like Mexico and Centrailia. 

**Fix and improve safety measures for Highway 22 MEX-CENTRAILIA URGENTLY **