Accident Record

Taking advantage of the fact that the Fourth of July makes the 129,000,000 inhabitants of the U. S. accident-conscious, the National Safety Council picked last week to publish the grim records of last year's accidents. One accident occurred every three seconds (total: 10,730,000), one accidental death every five minutes (total: 111,000) during the year. Wages lost on account of accidents amounted to $2,000,000,000. Other losses and expenses increased this to $3,700,000,000.

Scene of most U. S. accidents in 1936, as for many years past, was the home. Slipping in bathtubs, electric shocks, scaldings, poisonings, burns and cuts from kitchen utensils killed 38,500 people. Close runner-up to home was the highway. Traffic accidents caused 37,800 deaths. Most dangerous State to live in was Arizona. Best accident record was that of children from 5 to 14. The hurry of better business last year caused 18,000 workmen to lose their lives. In 1935, occupational deaths totaled 16,500.

Fourth of July celebrations no longer are a major cause of accidents, due to warnings such as Surgeon General Thomas Parran Jr. published last week: "The thought that many children will be sightless the rest of their lives because their parents heeded their pleas to 'play with fireworks' is a sobering one indeed. I cannot urge too strongly that every possible precaution be taken to make the figures for 1937 prove that at last we have had a safe and sane Fourth of July." Preliminary reports of the July 4th holiday weekend showed 437 deaths in 46 States: 104 drownings, 247 traffic deaths, 86 others including six from fireworks. New Jersey's authorities hoped to provide a salutary example to other States by threatening to jail (90 days) and fine ($100) any one who sold or even possessed any kind of fireworks, including cap pistols and sparklers.

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