The Utah Highway Safety Division, in analyzing traffic fatalities for 1978, has come up with some telling figures on the devastating influence of speed and alcohol on the highway. Dur ng the year there were 315 fatal crashes which killed 376 persons. Of these accidents, alcohol was a contributing factor in two out of every five – and a third of these drivers were less than 21 years old not even of legal drinkingage! Stephen Glines of the safet dlvlsion said further: in Alcohol)related crashes, fully half also involved a speeding violation of over 55 miles an hour. Over 80 percent of alcohol-related accidents involved drinking drivers under 38 years old. Q Another fact disclosed by Mr, Gllnes: Drivers with traffic violations and previous accidents are over-represented. “Drivers involved in fatal crashes had twice as many driving-under-theinfluence arrests and other harmful violations and previous accidents on record than did the general driving population.” Furthermore, 7 percent of the fatal-accident drivers in 1978 had illegal licenses or no licenses; 42 percent had one or more previous speeding convictions; 8 percent had one or more previous suspensions; 5 percent had one or more previous drunk driving convictions; and 30 percent had one or more previous other harmful violations on their records. lt’s a sad but revealing picture. And it clearly sets out some restraints that must receive priority if Utah is to cut its accident fatality toll.