The Nation : Traffic Fatalities Increase

Despite a 55-m.p.h. speed limit and a slew of seat belt laws, traffic fatalities rose unexpectedly last year and statistics show fatal accidents are most likely to occur in rural areas, said a report. About 19.6 out of every 100,000 Americans were killed in motor vehicle accidents in 1986 compared to 19.1 the year before, said the report published in the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.’s quarterly Statistical Bulletin. The motor vehicle mortality rate had been dropping since 1973, when the speed limit was cut to 55 m.p.h. after severe gasoline shortages. According to the report, mortality rates differ by as much as 82% between areas of the country, with Wyoming having the highest, and Rhode Island the lowest, rates for adult males.