STATE : Holiday Road Accidents Kill 47

Forty-seven people died in accidents along California roadways during the long New Year’s weekend, 11 more than a year ago when the holiday was one day shorter, the California Highway Patrol said today.

This year, traffic statistics for New Year’s were kept from 6 p.m. Friday to midnight Tuesday, 4 1/4 days. Last year, the period was 3 1/4 days, from 6 p.m. Friday to midnight Monday.

Virtually the entire increase in the death toll was accounted for during the extra day. This year’s toll for a comparable 3 1/4-day period was 37, compared to 36 a year ago, CHP Officer Lydia Martinez said. She said of the 25 people who died in vehicles, 22 of them were not wearing seat belts.