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Show ALL ESSENTIAL WINTER DRIVERS: Check Anti - Skid Chains, Wipers and Defrosters Before First Snowfall. STATE COLLEGE, PA. Prof. Amos E. Neyhart, administrative head of the Institute of Public Safety, Safe-ty, the Pennsylvania State college and consultant on road training, American Automobile association, warns essential drivers in 34 winter affected states they must prepare in advance with practical precautions to "get through safely and on time this crucial, wartime winter." Having just completed the fifth annual short course for truck fleet supervisors. Professor Neyhart points out that over half of the nation's na-tion's passenger cars are owned by workers in industries essential to prosecution of the war. "While the vast majority of trucks are essential, a larger than normal percentage of passenger cars will likewise be in the absolutely essential essen-tial transportation class this winter and should therefore be equipped and able to get through, and get through safely and on time, when severe snow and ice conditions arrive," ar-rive," he declared. "The primary hazards of winter driving are inadequate traction and reduced visibility," Neyhart said, "and this means those who must get through regardless of severe winter road conditions should repair anti-skid chains now, since new ones are scarce, and check condition of windshield wipers and defrosters." More Deaths in Snow Belt. He pointed out that the National Safety Council's committee on winter win-ter driving hazards studies revealed that traffic accidents in snow-belt states last winter ran the mileage death rate up 24 per cent higher than the summer toll. The milder southern winter caused a 5 per cent increase in states below the Mason-Dixon Mason-Dixon line. Street and highway departments, he said, have already been advised to repair snow plows because new machines are hard to get, and to attempt to forestall a labor shortage for such work as snow removal. Labor La-bor shortage for winter road maintenance main-tenance will undoubtedly be serious, and Neyhart advised essential car owners in the vital northern states to take Immediate steps to secure new, or repair old, seasonal winter equipment needed for their own protection pro-tection in driving to work. "Let winter help defeat the Axis, not America," he warned. "Even minor skid-wrecks, with mechanics so busy, may lay up cars for the duration, and everyone must co-operate to minimize traffic tieups due to snow and ice on the essential civilian ci-vilian front. Avoidable accidents and delays on the home front spell too little and too late on the battle front. "Many newly essential worker-drivers, worker-drivers, who formerly stayed home when roads were bad, may not be prepared for the role of war workers work-ers who must 'get there,' " Neyhart said, and advised them to "beg, borrow, or repair a pair of tire chains and otherwise check your car for winter." I |