Evening star., 1948-07-30
Death Rate in Traffic
In 5 Months Of 1948
Lowest in History
By the Associated Press

CHICAGO, July 30.-The Nation
set the lowest traffic death rate In
history during the first five months
of 1948.
The National Safety Council re-
ported today that despite increased
travel, drivers and pedestrians came
through the first six months of the
year with $50 fewer traffic deaths
than in the same period last year
This was 4 per cent decrease.
The improvement in fatality rates
was achieved despite an per cent
increase in mileage. This gave the
Nation a five-month traffic rate of
72 death for each hundred million
miles traveled-the lowest mileage
death rate ever recorded in America
The previous low was rate of 80
in the first five months of 1947.
1850 Persons Killed.
Even with the record low in traf-
fic deaths, 1880 persons were killed
for use of the highways during the
first half of the year the council
pointed out.
(The traffic deaths in the Dis
trict for the first six months of
this year showed a slight in
crease, the Accident Investigation
Unit of the Police Department
said today. For the first six
months of 1947, there were "a
deaths due to traffic accidents
here, while this year there were
38. However, from January l
to date there has been a decrease
over last year. There were 40
traffic deaths so far this year,
while for the same period in
1947 there were Al deaths.)
There will be 1900 fewer traffic
deaths in 1948 than in 1947 if the
per cent drop in traffic deaths
continues throughout the year, the
council said. There were $4,000
traffic deaths in 1947.
2,420 in June Alone.
Traffic deaths totaled 2,420 In
June alone-the same as last year
This was better than May, when
the toll went up per cent over last
year. But not as good as the first
four months of the year, when
there were decreases of from 3 to
13 per cent from 1947.
For June, the North Atlantic
States had II per cent fewer deaths
than in June, 1947. The Pacific
States had a reduction of II per
cent. These favorable records were
offset by increases of S to 18 per
cent in other regions.
Sizable variations in death trends
also are shown by the six-month
totals. North Atlantic and Pacific
States had substantial decreases
8 and II per cent, respectively.
South Atlantic States had 9 per
cent fewed deaths, despite an 18
per cent increase in June. North
Central and South Central States
had about the same record for both
ycdIS. NOullCdL1 StoGCo 1CSo1 aSo O.
4 per cent increase.
Report BY States.
States reporting fewer deaths in
the six months of 1948 than in 1947
and the percentage decline were:
North Dakota. 46; Rhode Island,
43: New Hampshire, 35; Massachu-
SettS and Nebraska, 27: North Caro-
lima and Mississippi, 10: Tennessee,
18; Montana, IS; California, Wash
ington and Georgia, 13; New Jersey,
Indiana and Minnesota, II; Vir-
ginia, 10: Iowa, Kentucky and Ver-
mont, 9; Maryland, Connecticut and
South Dakota, 8; oregon and South
Carolina, 7: Pennsylvania. s; New
Yofk and Florida, 8, and Michigan
and Utah. /.
Two hundred eighty-flve Ameri-
can cities reported no traffic deaths
for June. Largest of these was
Providence, R. l.; second was Rich
mond, Va, and third largest was
Norfolk, Va. For the six-month
period, 121 cities reported no deaths.
The three largest, with population
ranging from 10000 to $4,000 were
Lawrence, Quincy and Newton-all
of Massachusetts.