Los Banos Rotary Club History
Traffic Accidents Double in County

Traffic accidents in Merced county during the first six months of 1946 are more than double that of the corresponding period last year and promise to establish an all-time death toll for the county. Capt. W. A. Burch, head of the Merced County Highway Patrol, told members of the Los Banos Rotary Club Tuesday noon that up to July 1 this year there had been 277 traffic accidents in the county this year, in which 30 persons were killed and 287 injured. For the same period last year there were 127 accidents, 11 killed and 79 injured.
World War II, Captain Burch pointed out is considered the most terrible experience in the history of man. The lives of 58 Merced county men were sacrificed on the battlefields during the four years of war. The lives of 30 people were snuffed out on Merced county highways during the past six months.

America’s automobile and truck drivers, Burch declared, are the most wanton killers in the world and becoming more lethal everyday. At the present rate, some 38,000 persons will be killed on America’s highways this year 1,300,000 persons will be injured. Property damage in the same accidents will amount to many millions of dollars. It is already over a half-million dollars in Merced county this year.

As one very effective way of combating this fast-increasing traffic rate, Captain Burch has proposed a Merced County Traffic Safety Council, to be composed of representatives from every community in the county. Such a group would work with the Highway Patrol’s newly organized Bureau of Accident Prevention, studying the causes of accidents, and carrying on an intensive educational program in every community to make the public more keenly aware of the danger and to encourage safer driving practices.
Following Captain Burch’s talk, Rotary President Bert Loosmore assured him that a Rotary member would be named to the Traffic Council within the next few days and assured him that the Rotary Club would cooperate to the fullest in any suggested program.

Two new Rotary members, Dr. Kenneth Propst and Lawrence Arpin, were welcomed into the club by Past President Charles Kaljian.
Frank Pernetti and Hugh Mott, members of the local Lions Club, were guests at the luncheon and extended an official invitation from the Lion Den to Rotarians for the joint dinner to be held next Tuesday evening at the fire department club rooms.

Another visitor was Lt. H. A. Waggener, information and education officer at Castle Field, Merced, who spoke briefly concerning plans for the Air Force anniversary party to be held at Castle Field next Thursday August 1. The Merced field, as the only permanent Air Force Base in the San Joaquin valley, will hold an Open House on that date, with a worthwhile show and complete picture of the overall workings of an air field.

July 23, 1946

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