National Affairs: One in 43 Million

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Rushing at 60 m.p.h. through the westbound tube of Holland Vehicular Tunnel from Manhattan to New Jersey one evening last week, a light coupé veered out of the speed lane into the slow lane and crashed squarely into the rear of a lumbering biscuit truck. The car's driver and a passenger were killed. It was the Holland Tunnel's first fatal accident among 43 million cars which have passed through since its opening in 1927.

The Port of New York Authority, which operates the tunnel in addition to four interstate bridges, had trained its tunnel crew for just such an emergency. Red lights flashed. All traffic in the westbound tube was merged in one lane. Down the other in the opposite direction sped a wreck truck from the New Jersey entrance. Because all motor lights must be extinguished before entering the well-lit tunnel, the wrecking crew was not blinded by the glare of traffic. Quickly the smashed coupé was dragged out. Normal traffic was resumed in 20 minutes.