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Show VISION CThese articles are submitted weekly by your Optometrists of Southern Utah, In cooperation with your local newspaper, In order to better acquaint you with the function and problems of vision). "A greater proportion of teen-aper drivers of motor vehicles have accidents than any other age group." This is the statement of Dr. Edwin D. Fletcher, examiner in charge of research for the Oilifornia State Division of Drivers' Licenses and nationally known authority on Motorists' Vision, whose recently published paper on "The Young Driver" was reviewed by Dr. Curtis Dearden, local optometrist, during a meeting of the Salt Lake County Study Group held last night at the office of Dr. Bruce Parsons, 120 East 48 South Street, Murray, Utah. Dr. Fletcher points out in nis article that insurance company findings have been that young drivers are greater great-er risks, and therefore parents must face increased insurance insur-ance rates when their teen-age son or daughter takes the wheel of the family car. To prove the point, 5 tables compiled com-piled from studies carried out in Connecticut and Massachusetts Massa-chusetts are included in the Fletcher work, and the findings, find-ings, summarized briefly state: 1. That almost eight per cent of the drivers under twenty were involved in accidents while about four per cent of the drivers over fifty years of age had accidents. 2. That on the basis of mileage driven, the fatal-accident rate for young drivers in their teens is twice as great as it is for operators in their twenties, and three times as ,great as for operators in their lorties and fifties. '3. That a higher proportion of fatal accidents was incurred by young drivers within three years of first obtaining a license than that incurred by older drivers. 4. That a greater percentage of accident repeaters called in for hearing were from the drivers in the younger age groups. 5. That young people not only have a very high accident rate, but that they have an excessive proportion of their accidents at night. |