THERE WERE 49,000 people killed on the American highways in 1965. This amounted to 134 people each day, or 5.6 every hour, or roughly one person killed every 10 minutes. During this same period, there were 1,800,000 injuries.1 When these figures are compared to the 34,0002 lives lost in the entire Korean conflict or the 53,0003 lost in World War I, it becomes apparent that the more serious of current battles is here on the nation's highways. It is this battle we are losing each year and the losses are becoming staggering. One of the injuries that is being seen more frequently in association with auto accidents is injury to the larynx and the upper respiratory tree. This injury has been seen in urban areas since the advent of the high speed automobile. We are now beginning to see these accidents in rural areas. How often does