| Show TIME FOR REASON editors note this is the first of a series of safety editorials apol sponsored by the utah state press association at first firs t glance the statement by safe safety f authorities that speed is the number I 1 cause of highway deaths and injuries has a faraway far away sound of no particular immediate significance the picture of an abc america rica gone speed peed crazy has 11 as been exaggerated by alarmists alarmiste alar mists over ever since tile the flapper days following world war 1 I and a good many people will find it hard to believe that our highways highl are a teeming chaos of careening speed demons As a matter of fact most of us in ill the course of a days driving have encountered one or two insanely re reckless ekless speeders seldom more certainly the proportion is nothing like one out of ten tell what then is all the shouting about A careful analysis of what safety experts mean by it speed clears mystery although it adfor affords ds us little cause for complacency far from relieving us of personal Ierson al responsibility in the matter we find the finger of accusation pointed directly at mr and mrs average motorist for if speed means as we learn not only such su ell yearly dearly dangerous speeds as a s 60 70 and 80 miles an all hour h 0 u r gl speeds speed of 40 30 or even 20 miles an all hour under un der adverse conditions then in effect the tragic toll of highway accidents means that a substantial proportion of us are lacking in ill good judgement jud ud gement that is a harsh indictment indic ament it hits us in ill a very tender spot pride in our native american common ense cense As a nation we are individualists alisis and proud of 0 it we are proud of our freedom of choice freedom of initiative freedom to make our own decisions lot let us hope that the number I 1 highway killer is not due to our inability to exercise good judgement jud juIge gement but rather to our ignorance of the conditions affecting safe driving speeds let us set about correcting this ignorance and thus halt the killing |
