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Show DRUNK DRIVING IS ALARMING The driver "under the influence" influ-ence" is far more fatal when he gets into a motor vehicle accident than the driver who is sober. In 1949 he was three times as dangerous to human life. What is more, the deadliness of the drunk driver has been increasing with an alarming trend since the end of World War II, or even longer. And by way of contrast, accidents in which it is definitely reported report-ed that neither driver was drunk have shown a consistent and continuous decrease in fatality fa-tality percentage from year to year, ever since the close of the war. These facts were developed by a study of accident reports made in the past several years to the drivers' license division of the Utah State Tax Commission. Commis-sion. "In 1949," said H. P. Leatham, director of the division, "there were 746 motor vehicle traffic accidents reported to the tax commission, in which at least one of the drivers was asserted to be under the influence of al cohol. Death or deaths resulted in 29 of those accidents, or 3.9-per 3.9-per cent. "Compare this proportion with less than 1 per cent, or S5 deaths, in the 8596 accidents in which it was definitely stated stat-ed that neither driver was drunk. Drunks Increase 'In proportion to traffic on the highways, as measured b,J-v j gasoline consumption, the nufc her of fatal accidents in Utaa shows a fairly steady decline 1948 was an exception to this rule. The number of persons injured, in proportion to traffic traf-fic on the highway, has steadily decreased over a long period of years. But the number of accidents ac-cidents in which drunk drivers were involved, according to the reports on file with the tax commission, shows no sign of decreasing, when related to the . increase in traffic on the highways. high-ways. In fadt, the number of such accidents per 100 million miles of motor vehicle traffic was heaviest in 1949 of any year in the last six. |