Kansas City pulled over hundreds of people in one day on this busy highway
Those driving on U.S. 71 Highway may want to slow down, because the Kansas City Police Department is cracking down on reckless driving on the highway.
According to KCPD, the following citations were given out Tuesday, Jan. 13, on U.S. 71:
- Seven citations for driving suspended/revoked
- 205 citations/warnings for hazardous moving violations
- 101 citations/warnings for non-moving violations
A moving violation involves breaking traffic laws while driving, such as speeding, reckless driving, driving under the influence, among several other violations. Non-moving violation not related to the vehicle’s movement, for things like parking violations, lack of insurance and a broken tail light, among others.
A KCPD representative said that officers were sent to U.S. 71 due to traffic complaints and accidents on the highway. They said that the enforcement was aiming to reduce speeds on the highway.
Missouri State Highway Patrol has already said that there isn’t any wiggle room when it comes to the speed limits on the highway. Even if you speed up in order to pass another vehicle, it could result in a traffic violation if an officer spots you.
You can also get cited for driving too slow, as Missouri has minimum speed limits on its highways.
The highway has over twice the average crash rate of Missouri expressways. Last month, a single car-crash near Interstate 670 and U.S. 71 Highway killed one person, the 63rd traffic death in Kansas City last year.
Thousands cross U.S. 71 daily in Kansas City, according to 2024 data from the Missouri Department of Transportation. For example, the average annual daily traffic going north near Woodland Avenue was 42,314 in 2024, while going south, it was 36,312.
KCPD said the greater focus on U.S. 71 was for that specific day, and that drivers can expect to see continued enforcement along U.S. 71, as well as other locations across the city where KCPD receive complaints for speeding and careless driving.
This story was originally published January 20, 2026 at 3:42 PM.
