B.C. LUMBER WORKER

Merry : Christmas | €

DEATH TOOK NO HOLIDAY

IN THE |

THINK OF

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Underlying purpose of a safety program for
is that all conditions should be observed which w:
vent neediess loss of earning ability through accide
It is for this reason that the [WA District Safety Council
has declared its interest in traffic safety. ©

Workers who exercise care to protect life and limb on
the job should extend the observance of safety principles
into every department of their lives, in order to be safe
off the job as well as on the job.

It is appropriate at this time that everyone, whether
pedestrian or motorist, should be reminded of the hazards
that may be eliminated from traffic conditions, if heed is
given to the warnings found in the most frequent causes
of death on the highways. These warnings have special
meaning under the conditions of holiday traffic.

The statistics which appear on these pages have been
derived from sources in the United States. Nevertheless,
experience has shown, that the causes of traffic accidents
appear in the same ratio in Canada as in the U.S.

CIRCUMSTANCES CONTRIBUTING

No one can say exactly how many motor-vehicle:acci-
dents are due to a particular circumstance, because most
accidents are not investigated carefully enough to deter-
mine exactly what the underlying causes were. The fol-
lowing paragraphs summarize the more important con-
tributing circumstances.

Speed

Nearly 3 out of 10 drivers in fatal acci-
dents were violating a speed law, according
to reports from 21 states. Specifically, viola-
tions were reported for 28 percent of the
drivers: 17 percent were exceeding stated
speed limits, and 11 percent were exceeding
safe speeds although travelling at less\than the speed
limits or were on a road where no stated limit existed.

Because many fatal accidents involve two vehicles, the
number of accidents is fewer than the total number of
drivers involved. Therefore, the instances of speed viola-
tions which totalled 28 percent of all drivers, totalled
approximately 35 percent of the fatal accidents.

City accident summaries showed only 20 percent of the
drivers in fatal accidents violating speed laws, compared
with summaries for rural areas which showed 81 percent
of the drivers in fatal accidents violating speed laws. How-
ever, since accident summaries are based partly on the
reports of drivers, who often believe that low speeds are
safe regardless of conditions, the differences in the urban
and rural percentages should be interpreted with some

caution.

ian had been drinking, according to
rom 21 states. This proportion was
just slightly higher than in the previous
year.

Among the drivers involved in fatal acci-
dents for whom condition was stated, 18 out of 100 had
been drinking. This proportion, too, was just slightly
higher than in the previous year. The driver’s condition
was not stated in 25 percent of the cases.

in fatal accidents ranged from 4 out of 100 to 37 out of
100. This wide variation may be due in part to a lack of
uniformity among the states on how “drinking driver” is
defined.

Drivers “under the influence of alcohol” — the most
serious violation in “had been drinking”—averaged 7 out
of 100 drivers in fatal accidents. The range of proportions
was from 1 to 32 in the reporting states. Reports for cities
and for the rural areas of 16 states indicated no variation
from the statewide figures. Each area classified 7 out of
10 scrivere in fatal accidents as “under the influence of
alcohol”.

SEE NEXT PAGE|

Among the reporting states, drinking drivers involved |

“a Gu.

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(OF bebalf of the if

cil, I extend to all wor ket:
the sincere wish that thei
joyously filled. with goog
Year may bring them hed
perity throughout.

We bring to remem
death or crippling injA®
sorrow, we also tendey '
sympathy for their grief.

In the past year, we.
and happiness to which ei
entitled cannot be realize:
life, health or earning d
accident, We have also |
tive endeavor may enbayg
the elimination of nw

We intend to prove-th
Greetings by dedicating’ i

cause of making our ind

to work. ae

Unless we achieve })
fellow-workers will hart
causes which are in oui}

Our message for .n
message of good will, «
should stir all of us to 3m

ous
MAKE 1954 A’
MAKING EVERY Di

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