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Show Utah Safety Council Report Shows Significant Decrease in "Off Road" Auto Accident Deaths More motorists on Utah highways high-ways this year are apparently either driving at a saner speed or staying awake at the wheel, the Utah Safety Council reported today. This view was expressed following a study of the 84 fatal fa-tal accidents that had occurred on Utah roads, as of July 30 which revealed that "running off the road" fatal accidents this year are down 31 over the same period last year. Another (actor, the Safety Council believes be-lieves may be responsible for this year's improved record, Is the safe speed signs at dangerous danger-ous curves erected by the State Road Commission since last year. The lack of such signs was strongly criticized by the National Nation-al Safety Council in a special report re-port submitted during the summer sum-mer of 1953. An over-all decrease In fatal accidents of all kinds is also not ed, with 16 fewer persons being killed. "While we are extremely happy hap-py to note this heartening decrease de-crease In fatalities, of course, from a strictly traffic safety view it is even more significant and encouraging to see this steady decrease In the accidents them- selves. We must remember that the accident must always first happen before a person is killed or Injured," G. Ernest Bourne, council executive secretary stated. stat-ed. A slight decrease in fatal col-lLsions col-lLsions and auto-pedestrian accidents acci-dents is also shown but not enough yet to indicate any real significance, in the opinion of the safety council spokesmen. Too many motorists are still falling fall-ing to observe the law and courtesy, cour-tesy, and neglecting to drive and walk "defensively," he said. The rule of self-preservation must necessarily be followed, and this may mean yielding the right-of-way even though you are entitled to it. It also means being prepared to cope with the driver who does the unexpected. unexpect-ed. "To stay alive means to stay alert," he concluded. |