The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1953-03-20

non-fatal war casualties to reach
that number. However, in the little
over so years since the automobile
became means of transportation,
33, 100000 men, women and chill
dren have been injured in traffic
accidents.
Thus, twenty six persons have
been injured in motor vehicle &C
cidents to every American service
man who was wounded in all of
the wars in the country's history,
the association pointed out. Put
ting it another way, in half CEN
fury automobile injuries total q
6O3 percent more than all of the
us. war wounded in one and
three-fourths centuries.
THAT the automobile has out
| stripped war as a killer, is now
recognized" said Thomas N. Boate,
manager of the Accident Proven
/ ton Department of the associa-
! ton. "In the span of less than an
average mans lifetime, the auto
mobile has killed 1,075,000 per-
sons, while the total number of
I battle dead in all of our wars, ac-
cording to the latest statistics,
reached 100000. This is now
some $4,000 short of the automo-
bile's 81 year toll and only a year
ago the figures were about equal.
"The association by no means
wishes to minimize the tragedy
of American youths and men who
are being wounded in Korea. 1t is
shocking situation and one that
all Americans hope to see brought
to a speedy and honorable end. 1t
is also tragic to learn, however,
that many times more good Amer
lean citizens-men, women and
children-are being killed in traf-
fic accidents without comparable
demands that this national menace
be stopped, too.
"The tremendous disproportion
between traffic and war casualties
can be traced directly to sheer
carelessness and official negli-
gence. If a foreign enemy were to
kill $4,000 persons and wound over
100000 more las automobile ac-
cidents did in 1852, the nation
would be rightly nirdaJ-e
would be rightly and righteously
outraged. The fact that the care
less acts of American citizens
themselves cause such a catastro-
phe every year does not minimize
either the personal or national loss
that grows worse every year.
"The economic loss that results
from motor vehicle accidents is al
most unreasonable. 1t is impossi-
BILE, for instance, to adequately
measure in economic terms the loss
that accrues to everyone when tens
of thousands of persons are perma-
nently crippled and many more
tens of thousands of persons are
temporarily disabled Statisticians
! figure, however, that each year the
economic loss due to traffic acct
dents exceeds $3,400, 00C, 900. Pub
lie officials and safety specialists
estimate that the real loss, if it
could be measured, would be near
ly twice that figure. The magnitude
of such waste is brought home
when we remember that the
amount of money appropriated to
run the nations vitality important
Atomic Energy Commission dur
ing the last fiscal year was less
than one half of even the estimat-
ed economic loss resulting from
motor vehicle accidents during the
same year.
can enemy from overseas could
hardly ask for a better ally than
this sixth column-this waste due
to auto accidents-which has join
ed the fifth column of spies and
saboteurs as means of weakening
our country in a time of national
emergency. Accident prevention is
the duty of every citizen today.
Certainly it is a sad commentary
on the driving habits of Ameri-
cans, that automobiles kill and in
jure so many times more persons
than war"
Statistics of the associations
comparative study of war wound
ed and traffic accident injured fol-
lows:
Total military wounded in all
wars or years., 1,27O,0OO; Total
injured in traffic accidents (52
years, 33,OOO,OOO; Total wounded
in Korea first 80 months), 80, 900;
Total injured in traffic accidents
during same time, 3,350,000; Daily
average of servicemen wounded in
uonIodoIds!p snopusm9Il eqy,,
fic injuries during same time, g.
673.