Madison County Democrat

Death Toll Sets Record Of 391 Ohio Fatalities Highest In Area
(By The Associated Press)
American motorists wrote a bloody record of death on highway and street in two successive week-ends of the Christmas-New Year holidays.
As the number of persons killed in traffic accidents in the past four days mounted to 391 Ned H. Dearborn, president of the National Safety Council, declared "This is a disgraceful way to start the New Year."
The previous record for a four-day New Year week-end (6 p.m. Wednesday until midnight Sunday local time), was 375 fatalities, set only last year.
Belated reports might swell the total to the 410, the Safety Council estimated in advance of the New Year week-end
Accidental deaths of various kinds numbered 122 and 56 were burned to death to raise the total for the 102-hour period to 569.
Last year's total was 611 Only the week before, an all-time record for highway fatalities during a four-day Christmas week end was established at 556. It, too, broke a year old record by one.
The Christmas week-end accident fatalities of all kinds numbered 744.
Holiday totals tabulated by The Associated Press include only those who died within the 102-hour period in accidents within that period
The deaths by states (traffic fires, miscellaneous) included: Illinois, 22-2-5; Indiana, 19-0-8; Ohio 35-3-6; Pennsylvania, 22-7-1; West Virginia, 5-0-4.