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Show Traffic Death Toll Soars A Utah traffic death toll of 300 or more, and an accompanying ac-companying economic loss to the state in excess of $50,-000,000 $50,-000,000 is likely this year, unless a reversal of present trends occur. This was pointed out in a special report on the current cur-rent status of traffic safety efforts in Utah, presented to the Utah Safety Council by Dr. A. M. Okel berry, president. The gravity of the traffic situation is further intensified intensi-fied by the apathy and indifference of many public officials offi-cials and the general public in their failure to face up to the challenge which is literally a matter of life and death, Dr. Okelberry indicaed. "If the public were as keenly concerned over this crisis as they are over the educational problems of the state we would see a tremendous improvement," he said. "We cannot, however, be so optimistic over this expectation expecta-tion as we can about the school cricis because the public is just not as interested or genuinely concerned. It i? a dismal commentary on our present balance of values," he concluded. The Council report also pointed out that because of increasing population, motor vehicle ownership and use, the problem is continually worsening. The gap between the problem and the prevention efforts is steadily widening widen-ing because preventive efforts are not keeping pace. Annual analysis and evaluation reports of official traf-lic traf-lic safety program efforts at local levels reveal a composite compo-site average performance only 56c of the recommended level. The report also stressed that if such program efforts ef-forts were brought up to the recommended level traffic deaths and injuries could be cut 5CKf. This would mean, Dr. Okelberry said, that 125 lives a year could be saved. The Council estimated that additional expenditures by local government throughout the state would have a total minimum of $1,500,000 a year to bring their traffic rsafety programs up to the recommended level. Items requiring re-quiring such expenditures would include additional manpower man-power and training for enforcement agencies, traffic engineering en-gineering services, traffic court improvement, and other related administrative services and facilities. i |