Navajo times., 1962-08-22
The Cost Of Good Roads .
HOsU many Eves?

HOe0 many EIOeS!
Last week, we took the opportunity to give the law
enforcement groups ESPECIALLY Navajo poice)
much deserved and often overlooked pat the back.
Unfortunately, they can't be everywhere at once and
individual drivers must of the response
biy for keeping themselves and others the highway
safe.
This job is made little more dfficult--or maybe
lot difficult by stretches of narrow over
crowded. poorly banked, and otherwise totally made
qlae roads that seem to be especially prevalent in the
New Mexico Gallup. There have been sug
gestons tha the section of u S. Highway Sc east of
Gaupto the headquarters of the State Police lat which
point, divided highway begins) be earmarked for
national cemetery because of the appalling number of
traffic fatalities and serious injuries resulting from
accidents in this stretch
Possibly of the greatest tragedies of todays
world of hghpOwered is that it is impossible to
point to spot the road and say This piece of road
Improvement saved eleven lives during the last year
alone" GuesSes can be made, and estimates figured
and comparisons drawn against previous years, but
thes necessarily vague. The only ii ime that
really positive statement can be made is when you
point to specific spot road and say six people
died here in one accident
Traffic counts have been made, appeals from lead
ing Gallup citizens have been made again and again.
and still the deaths m cunt higher The New Mexico
Highway Commi s on apparently has insufficient
funds to make effort to save lives by improved
roads Gallup. AS result of the deaths in the
McGaffey turn-off area State Police headQuar-
ters improvements were made. Portions of the road
widened, and more adequately marked; it isn't
quite easy to miss the McGaffey turnoff it
d
and Gallup that could stand a lot of improvement, how
ever. Counts taken during July showed nearly $500
vehicles daily passed along this Ribbon of Death.
Would anyone like to speculate what the count might
have been the week of August 9, with the Ceremonial
traffic pmg up the tourist traffic, which had been
added to the regular traffic?
This strip of road hasn't exclusive on highway
deaths To the North of Gallup, Highway 666 is ugly
stretch of bad any driver would want to avoid.
Three people dead result of crash miles
north of Gallup during Ceremonial weekend with
still listed critical in Gallup hospitals. This
roadway of pressing interest to the Tribe, be
the route between Window Rock and other points
the reservation into Gallup is which people
often travel.
The roads are bad enough, and there is always the
hazard of mechanical difficulty For your sake,
and that of Others don't compound the problem with
alcohol Alcohol gives that II get away with any
thing, do anything feeling at the time it makes
absolute hash OF reflexes timing and perception It is
easy to misudge the speed of oncoming cars, your
ability to handle the situation, in extreme cir
cunstances, the existance of danger.
Surprisingly enough, statistics prove that the mod
crate" drinker is far dangerous the highways
than the manwho is really drunk He is far likely
to assume that the "coup1e drinks he has taken won