Smyrna times., 1949-09-01
SAFE DRIVER
SCHOOL COURSE
Growing Public Awareness of
Need For Reducing High
way Accidents
STATE RECEIVES AWARD

throughout the country which
teach motor vehicle safe driver
training courses, rejecting a rapid
ly growing public awareness of the
need for reducing street and high
way accidents, has been reported
by the Association of Casualty and
Surety Companies.
At the same time, the under
writer's organization, which main
tains close watch over motor ve-
hicle accident statistics, announced
that a board of leading educators
and safety specialists had selected
II states to receive awards for out
standing achievements in advanc-
ing safe driver education in their
high schools. The states selected
for this recognition are Arizona,
California, Connecticut, Delaware,
Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts,
Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey,
North Dakota, Oklahoma, South
Carolina, Texas, Washington, West
Virginia and Wisconsin.
The official reports of 43 states
which participated in the award
program show that 6,191 high
schools in those states offered safe
driver training courses during the
1948-49 school year. This was an
increase of nearly A per cent over
the 1947-48 figure of 4,307 high
schools. During the same period
the number of students enrolled in
the courses rose from 333,017 to
4S1,7 ,723, an increase of As per cent.
Equally impressive from the
safety specialists point of view
were figures on the training of
teachers who will instruct driver
education courses. During the past
year 5,744 teachers received this
specialized training. OF that number
1888 attended 210 special insti-
tutes where instruction was given
on a short but intensive basis,
while Sill were trained in 90 col
lege credit courses. This is the
first time that these statistics have
been available.
''The reports from the 43 states
which participated in our award
program, representing 95 per cent
of the nations population, show
heartening progress" said Julien
III. Harvey, manager of the Associ-
alton of Casualty and Surety Com
panies' accident prevention depart
ment. 'fBut we still have long
way to go. Our goal will not be ac-
complished until every high school
in every state adopts driver edu-
cation as one of the requirements
for graduation. When you remem-
ber that each year the price of
traffic accidents is $4,000 dead,
100000 injured and 81, 100, 600, 900
property damage, it is easy to
agree that safe driver training in
our high schools is quite as i'm
portant as the other required sub
jects.
"Credit for the progress That has
been made is due to many persons
to the public officials of city,
state and nation who constantly
strive to make America safer, to
the educators who are showing the
way to the ultimate attainment of
safe streets and highways, and to
the men and women of our coun-
trys accident prevention organiza-
tions. Accident prevention special
lists have long known that We shall
not enjoy the fullest degree of
safety until we train young drivers
before they take over the wheel.
The place to do that is in the high
school classroom. 1t was to encour-
age the adoption of that principal
everywhere that we inaugurated
the High School Driver Education
Award Program two years ago."
DIR. Ned H. Dearborn, president
of the National Safety Council, ex-
planned that three classes of
awards were made by the board of
Judges, of which he is chairman, as
follows:
Superior Award, given to states
which maintain full course in
driver education in at least so per
cent of their high schools during
the preceding school year and have
an enrolment of not less than so
per cent of the eligible students,
won by Arizona, California, Him
ois, Massachusetts, New Jersey,
North Dakota and Wisconsin.
Meritorious Award, given to
states meeting the same standards
in 25 per cent of their schools with
a 25 per cent enrolment, won by
Connecticut, Indiana, Michigan,
Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Caro-
lima, Texas, Washington and West
yyi~r~snsc