Traffic Council Names Mammel As Chairman

Accident Increase Reported

Traffic Council Names Mammel As Chairman

Fred A. Mammel, superintendent of the city’s Department of Public Works, is the new chairman of the Ann Arbor Citizens Safety and Traffic Council.

Mammel, who has been with the city as an engineer for almost 20 years, was elected to head the traffic group at its latest meeting.

Deputy Police Chief Walter E. Krasny was elected vice chairman to succeed Sheriff Douglas J. Harvey, while William M. Strickland of the Michigan Automobile Club was re-elected secretary. Mammel succeeds Herb Estes as council chairman.

In reports heard by council members it was revealed that traffic accident totals both in Ann Arbor and in Washtenaw County soared in 1965 over the 1964 figures.

The most noticeable increase was in the Sheriff’s Department annual report. Deputies in 1965 investigated over 500 more traffic accidents in the county than were checked in the previous year.

The 1965 total shows 2,090 mishaps were investigated by sheriff’s men, compared to 1,554 in 1964.

Last year’s figures show there were 824 personal injury accidents policed by deputies compared to 668 in 1964 while the 23 persons killed in sheriff-investigated accidents two years ago compares with 36 dead in fatals last year.

Ann Arbor city police also noted an increase in traffic accidents with 1,782 property damage mishaps investigated last year compared to 1,651 two years ago. There was 100 more injury accidents in the city last year than occurred two years ago, 809 to 709 while motorcycle accidents leaped from 61 in 1964 to 121 last year.

Bicycle accidents jumped from 37 in 1964 to 44 in 1965.

(photo) FRED MAMMEL

The worst time of day for accidents in the city was between 4 and 7 p.m. on Fridays, the report showed. There were 977 traffic violation arrests made by city police in 1965 compared to 956 the previous year.

A Police Department spokesman noted that motorcycles are becoming an increasing problem on city streets with the number of cycles almost doubling from 1964 to 1965. There were 800 cycles licensed in Ann Arbor two years ago, but 1,500 appeared on the records last year.