'I'MIK dollar cost of accidents in this coun try is rising. One reliable estimate puts last year’s total cost at the staggering fig ure of $10,000,000,000. This total includes damages!, benefit pay mem. . loss of pay, loss of production, doc tor ami hospital bills with perhaps half of the total being chargable to highway mis haps. With the heavy-travel season just now getting underway for 1057, there are those who are fearful of what this year's accident toll will he. While some safety officials pin their hopes for reducing the motor vehicle toll to the new national-highway building pro gram, others fear that the increase in the driver population and the number of mo tor vehicles on 1he highways twill cause the accident figures to climb even higher. Motor vehicle fatalities in 1956 brought a record 15,000 life insurance! death claims, with payment amounting to approximately •>07.000,000. This was 15,000 more claims and $7,000,000 more in benefits than was paid in the preceding year. Hut however high the economic and hu man loss from injuries and death from mo tor vehicle accidents, the lots from other types oi accidents has also risen. On-the job accidents cost industry and workers about $•'!..>00.000.000 last year, according to figures released by the American Mutual Liability Insurance Company of Boston. Oif-the-joh accidents cost much more — nearly $7,500,000,000 with highway acci dents being included in loot Ip categories. Increased liesure time ajid higher in come.- enable more people tjo travel these daw- -all too oiten into danger. The fact that so many workers seem th sustain more accident., causing time and production loss while away irom their jobs than while at work has caused a number of companies to set up safet.v clauses, urging precautions a: recreation, around the hofne and on the ' road. It is both interesting, and alarming, to note how the institute's estimate of $lo,

59.3%