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Show MINNESOTA MOTOR DEATHS DECREASE Minnesota was one of eleven states in which deaths from auto accidents were reduced in 1920, according to figures fig-ures compiled by the National Safety council. The total deaths were 3;VJ In 1025 and 319 in 1920, a decrease of 11.1 per cent. Only five states, Nevada, Ne-vada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Wyoming, had a larger per cent of decrease. The lota) deaths for the United States were 18,121 in 1920 and 17,220 in 1925, an increase of 5.1S per cent. The building of wider highways, elimination of sharp turns and other hazards, and the marking of all dan- I gerous places, both by the state highway high-way department on trunk highways ! and by many counties on secondary roads, was an Important factor in the reduced mortality. When it is remembered re-membered that the automobile" registration regis-tration in Minnesota increased 10.6 per cent in 1920 over 1925. the reduction reduc-tion in accidents becomes more noteworthy. note-worthy. "Good traffic laws, efficient enforcement, enforce-ment, and elimination of highway hazards haz-ards are three important factors in accident prevention," C. M. Babcock. commissioner of highways, states. Another An-other big factor is safety education. Safety requires eternal vigilance. The need of carefulness must be continuously continu-ously and repeatedly brought home to drivers, passengers, pedestrians, parents par-ents and children. The newspapers of Minnesota are entitled to a lot of credit for the co-operation they have given to tills department and other agencies that are trying to promote highway safety. They have given a large amount of space, without recompense, recom-pense, to traffic laws and safety propaganda, prop-aganda, and this lias been of incalculable incal-culable value." The figures on auto fatalities for Minnesota do not include deaths in grade-crossing accidents. Figures compiled com-piled by the Minnesota railroad commission com-mission show 34 killed In collisions between trains and automobiles in 1925 and 29 in 1920. The "Stop" crossing cross-ing law and the elmination of grade crossings have contributed largely to this result. |
