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Show Utah Traffic Accidents Show Need For Positive Corrective fiction Utah's 1953 traific accident record for the fir.it six months of this year, as shown In the official offi-cial summary Just release by the State Department of Public Safety, Safe-ty, reveals a somewhat encouraging encourag-ing trend, the Utah Safety Council Coun-cil stated today. The half-year mark shows a decided improvement improve-ment over the record for the same period last year, but any undue rejoicing or hopes must be tempered with the realization that the months ahead are traditionally tra-ditionally the most dangerous, traffic-wise. The fatalities for the first six months of 1953 were 92, suffered in 82 accidents. This figure compares com-pares with 113 fatalities in the same number of accidents for the same period of 1952. This is the way the 1952 and 1953 half-way records compare: Total Accidents Fatal Accidents 1952 8,403 82 1953 - 7,386 82 Personal injury Accidents Injured 1952 1167 2,098 1953 1487 2,209 The 113 fatalities in 1952 represented rep-resented 46',; of the year's total and the 82 fatal accidents were r,'o of the entire year's total of 181. The Safety Council stated that these figures are close to the average for iht state during the last several years. Thus, we can tentatively expect the total 1953 fatal accidents to be close to 1952's figure. The total of fatalities fa-talities for the entire year of 1953 Is subject to considerably less accuracy In estimating though, because the element of chance can too easily cause the number of fatalities in a given accident to be either one, four, or nine. This fact subjects the yearly total to erratic fluctuation. fluctua-tion. The Safety Council's estimate es-timate of total fatalities, based upon previous years' trends, should be betwween 205 and 230. The economic loss from traffic accidents in 1952 was $23,000,000, compared with an estimated loss of $9,000,000 for the first six months of 1953. The Safety Council, noting that J If the present trend continues, pointed out that 1953 will be the third consecutive year having over 200 traffic deaths, with an annual economic loss of over $20,000,000. These figures also serve as the basis for a recent report of the National Safety Council which stated, in part, that "Utah's state government, its legislature, and its citizens are not taking the action necessary nec-essary to correct the situation. They must decide. 1. Whether to continue the condition where human lives, limbs, and economic resources are needlessly expendable. 2. Whether they will continue contin-ue to tolerate the present or worse highway traffic situation now existing. 3. To take needed action to improve the situation." G. Ernest Bourne, Utah Safety Council executive secretary, echoed the comments of the National Na-tional Safety Council report, and added, "Our duty to ourselves is crystal clear, and the specific means by which our record can be improved are known and have been repeatedly broadcast by the Safety Council and other state and local agencies. The only thing that remains is the determination de-termination and cooperation necessary nec-essary to put the program into action. The responsibility for doing do-ing this cannot be aelegated to any one group or agency, but must of necessity be shared by us all." |