Would you believe that about 10,500 persons have been killed on Utah highways since 1934′? In an analysis of fatal accidents, the Utah Highway Safety Dlvlslon discloses that annual fatality counts have average 235 since that year. There has been an annual increase of between 4 and 5 fatalltles per year in the period. In 1978, 377 persons died in 316 fatal crashes – but that was only the second largest fatality figure, the division foimd. The record hlgh of 382 came in 1972. In that year only 6,969 million vehicle miles were traveled in Utah, compared with 9,597 estimated for 1978. The record shows fatalities cllmbed quite dramatically in the years before the dawn of the energy crisis in 1974. They totaled 306 for 1969; 335, 1970; 337, 1971; 362, 1972; and 361, 1973. Drlvlngl dldn’t dimish in 1974 but spfed dl , and fatalities dropped a the way to 226. They totaled 274 in 1975 and 254 in 1976 before the 1977 upsurge to 360 and the 1978 figure of 377, second highest on record. Driving has skyrocketed notably in the past few years from 6,969 million vehicle miles in 1974 to a record 9,597 in 1978. Total accidents climbed from 31,401 in 1974 to 46,106 in 1978. Injuries went from 16,269 in 1974 to D,290 in 1977, with no figures for 1978 available in this ca egory. Statlstlcs may be dry, as people say, but translate the figures into the grlef, misery, and expense the accidents wrought, and you get an idea of their impact. The Utah Highway Safety Division report spotlighted a number of interesting- observations and conclusions. or example: – During 1976, fatalities increased tx, 4.5 percent while the average aily traffic on Utah’s highways gained 5.9 percent. – Annual injury counts in Utah have averaged 8,659 since 1934, with an average annual increase of about 414 injuries. – The energy crisis in 1974 reduced injury counts by more than 4,000. However, an increase in that trend of 1,600 injuries per year has negated this impact by the late 1970s. – The average annual fatality rate in Utah sine 1940 is 6.6 per hundred-million vehicle miles; and the average annual injury rate for the same period is 213.5 per hundred million vehicle miles. -Geographically, Utah’s fatal crashes have been concentrated along the Wasatch Front. In 1978, near y one-fourth of them occurred in nlne major cities on the Wasatch Front, with seven in Provo, and 4 in Orem – the onl Utah County cities mentioned)? Salt Lake led with 33; Ogden had 10. – Fifty-five percent of all fatal crashes occurred in eight counties – Box Elder, Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Washington, and Weber. – The worst time period for fatal crashes for the last six years has been in the evening rush. – Seat belts reduce injury severelty. Of all 825 drivers and passengers in 1978 fatal crashed, 793 (96 Percent) were not wearing seat be ts. Of the 32 persons wearlng seatbelts during a fatal crash, 6 (25 percent) were killed. Of the 793 persons not wearing seat belts, 349 (44 percent) were killed. – Alcohol ls involved in at least 43 percent percent of the fatal crashes. Predominant cause of fatal crashes is driver behavior. Speeding ls a leading contributor in traffic rashes. The analysis, which extended two months into 1979, said fuel costs and availability should have a strong influence on highway safety this year. As of Feb. 28, 1979, projections of fatalities this year indicate a reduction to about 320. We believe there’s a message in the UHSD figures for all Utah drivers. Some of the key warnings: Polish your driver behavior; slow down; don’t drink If you drive; be safety-minded; obey all laws, and if plossible, keep off the hlghway in t e evenlng period of greatest hazard. So They Soy “In the field of government and government administration, I feel l’m as competent as anyone this country has. I’ve lived 62 years and I’ve learned a hell of a lot.” – John B. Connally, former governor of Texas and U.S. cabinet official, who ls running for the 1980 Republican presidentlal nomination.