Statement by the President: Safe Driving Day.

My fellow citizens:

December fifteenth this year will be Safe Driving Day--a day proclaimed throughout America by your governors, mayors and county officials in cooperation with the President's Action Committee for Traffic Safety. This Committee is a volunteer group of citizens working, at my request, to reduce fatalities and accidents on our nation's streets and highways.

All of us agree with the purpose of Safe Driving Day. It is to save lives and to prevent injuries. No endeavor could be more worthy of our universal cooperation. None is more urgent.

On this December fifteenth I hope that every American will help make it a day without a single traffic accident throughout our entire country.

How can we best do this? Three things are essential.

First, let's each of us make sure that we obey traffic regulations.

Second, let's follow common sense rules of good sportsmanship and courtesy.

Third, let's each one of us resolve that, either as drivers or as pedestrians, we will stay alert and careful, mindful of the constant possibility of accidents caused by negligence.

If every one of us will do these three things, Safe Driving Day can be a day without a traffic accident in all of America.

Last year, when I called a national conference on highway safety, Americans were being killed in traffic accidents at the rate of 38,000 a year. A million more were being injured.

This year, although we are driving more cars more miles than ever before, the number of deaths and injuries from accidents is smaller. Clearly we have found that it is not necessary to have more and more deaths and injuries.

I believe we can do even better--and that we must do better. Each of us must help.

Won't you do your part on December fifteenth to help stop death and injury on the highways and roads of America? Let's make Safe Driving Day an overwhelming success, and our nation's standard for the future.