Every year there are more people being killed in motor vehicle accidents.   The annual death toll is now over 55,000 - and it going up, not down.   We can no longer afford the terrible toll of motor vehicle accidents ... one accident every three seconds ... one person injured every eleven seconds ... a traffic death every ten minutes.

Part is due to highways - we are building more roads, more toll roads, more super highways. Part of the blame is due to automobiles - we are building automobiles at an even faster pace, and as a results our highways are becoming increasingly crowded.    But the main cause is the driver.   You probably feel that you are a good driver - most people do. But are you?

A person in poor physical health is generally a poor driver because he may not be able to react with sufficient speed in an emergency. There may be defects that affect both mind and body, and while these defects may be regrettable, they are another reasons for our soaring accident rate.

Certain visual deficiencies are common.   Millions of persons are afflicted with night blindness, which makes it far more difficult, or even impossible, to distinguish objects in the dark.   Glare recovery from a sudden bright light may be prolonged in some persons for as long as six seconds, and during this time the driver is blind and a potential victim to any highway hazard.

Driver attitudes are an important factor in accident prevention --- hot tempered drivers ... show-off drivers who take unnecessary chances in order to attract attention ... know-it-all drivers who pay no attention to traffic rules ... careless drivers who fail to realize that safety is a full time necessity ... absent-minded drivers ... inconsiderate drivers who feel that no one else has any right on the highway.

Habit patterns also affect driving --- one hand on the wheel and the other on the roof of the car or holding a cigarette outside the window ... or always driving 10 miles above the speed limit.

The drinking driver is the greatest menace on the roads.   When his blood alcohol reaches a figure definitely indicating intoxication, the probability of his causing an accident increases 25 times.   Because the body absorbs alcohol quickly and eliminates it slowly it is important to determine how long a time should elapse between drinking and driving.   This depends upon several factors -- number of drinks, amount of alcohol in each drink, the food that is consumed before and while drinking, the size and weight of the individual.  

Fatigue can be just as dangerous as alcohol.   The driver who falls asleep at the wheel is dangerous to others as well as to himself.

The good driver must not only be able to manage his own car, but also be prepared for anything that inexperienced or careless drivers may do.   There must be no accidents, for accidents can be fatal.