The Department of Transportation reported 16,189 alcohol-related traffic deaths in 1997, 38.6% of the total. That was a decrease of about 1,000 deaths from 1996, when drunken driving was responsible for 40.9% of the 42,065 traffic deaths. In 1982, 57.3% of the 43,945 fatalities were alcohol-related.

The administration hailed the figures, being formally published today, as evidence that measures such as zero tolerance laws for young drivers have helped curb drunken driving. But officials stressed that more needs to be done.

"A strong message and tough laws are bringing about an important change in society's attitude toward drunken driving, but we must continue our efforts to reduce the number of these tragedies even further," said Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater. The department has set a goal of reducing alcohol-related traffic deaths to 11,000 annually by 2005.

For the first time since record keeping began in 1975, alcohol-related deaths were below 40% of all traffic fatalities. And drunken driving deaths among teens aged 15 to 20 dropped 5% from 2,324 in 1996 to 2,209 in 1997, according to data by the department's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The highest percentage of drunken driving deaths, 49.8 percent, was among 21- to 34-year-olds. The lowest, 5.9 percent, was among drivers 75 and older. Of the 957 drinking drivers under age 21 who were killed in traffic crashes, the majority, 792, were killed in crashes at night. Utah had the lowest percentage of alcohol-related fatalities in 1997 with 20.6% followed by New York with 27.4%.

TORONTO -- Canadian National Railway Co., North America's sixth largest railway company, reached an interim contract deal with the union representing thousands of repair shop, intermodal and clerical workers on Saturday, the railway said.

The 6,500 workers had been without a contract since December and rising acrimony between the Canadian Auto Workers union may have been a factor in the carrier's delays in delivering auto parts to the Big Three U.S. automakers in June.

Talks between CN and the four CAW locals representing workers across Canada broke off June 24 but resumed a week ago when both sides were in a legal lockout and strike position.

The union leadership was believed to be meeting in Toronto Saturday evening to review the deal before taking it to its members.

NORFOLK, Va., -- Norfolk Southern Corp. (NSC) and CSX Corp. (CSX) terminated the voting trust that had held their shares of Conrail during the regulatory review and approval process.

CSX and Norfolk Southern are in the process of buying parts of Conrail and splitting the company between them.

In a press release Saturday, Norfolk Southern said the event has no immediate effect on railroad operations of Conrail, Norfolk or CSX, although it allows planning for the railroad integration process to move ahead.

The following people were named new directors of Conrail, replacing the current directors who resigned Aug. 22: John W. Snow, chairman, president and chief executive of CSX; David R. Goode, chairman, president and chief executive of Norfolk; Alvin R. Carpenter, president and chief executive of CSX Transportation Inc.; Mark G. Aron, executive vice president-law and public affairs, CSX; Paul R. Goodwin, executive vice president-finance and chief financial officer, CSX; James C. Bishop Jr., executive vice president-law, Norfolk; Stephen C. Tobias, vice chairman and chief operating officer, Norfolk; and Henry C. Wolf, vice chairman and chief financial officer, Norfolk.

RAPID CITY, S.D. -- The Mayo Clinic Foundation has come out against the proposed D-M-and E railroad expansion.

It is siding with one of the project's most vocal opponents, the Mid-States Coalition for Progress. A representative of the Mayo Clinic says he is worried the high-speed trains would come too close to the Rochester, Minnesota hospital's buildings.

Officials are also worried that ambulances would be delayed by the long coal trains. The company is currently looking at expanding the number of trains that would come through South Dakota and into Minnesota.

LONDON -- Engineering company Mayflower Corp. said Monday that it has agreed to acquire about 40% of U.S. bus manufacturer Metrotrans Corp. for a cash consideration of approximately $24.8 million.

Mayflower recently hinted to analysts that it was looking for an acquisition to provide a foothold in the key U.S. bus and coach market. Earlier this month, Mayflower launched a GBP255 million cash hostile bid for U.K. chassis and specialist vehicle maker Dennis Group PLC (U.DNS), trumping an all share bid made by U.K. bus company Henlys Group (U.HGR).

Metrotrans sells a full range of mid-size and full-size buses and coaches through its own distribution centers in the U.S. In 1998, it launched a new range of full-size luxury coaches. Last year the company generated a pretax profit of $2.8 million on sales of $80.1 million.

Mayflower is the largest manufacturer of bus bodies in the U.K. through its subsidiary Alexander.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Thirty-four thousand striking US West employees are no closer to returning to work today than they were when they walked out one week ago.

Workers in Utah and twelve other western states have been on the picket lines for seven days now. The major issues in the dispute are forced overtime, health benefits and a plan to tie pay to job performance. A federal mediator ordered both sides back to the bargaining table yesterday... and also declared a blackout on public comments regarding negotiations.

That hasn't stopped what's become an increasingly heated war of words. A union official says the company has NO intention of negotiating an end to the strike. A company spokesman accused the union of refusing to discuss serious issues.

The US West labor dispute has been punctuated with bursts of nastiness. Angry chalk graffiti decorates the sidewalk in front of the US West building in Salt Lake City. Some of what's written is obviously meant to attack union members who are crossing the picket lines. And last night, two U-S west managers claimed they were victims of two separate incidents.

One employee's car was damaged, the windshield smashed. Another got a phone call from someone who threatened violence. The police are investigating. The union says it does not condone violence nor will it allow employees to participate.

TAIPEI -- Some pilots of Taiwan's TransAsia Airways Corp. will resign to protest the airline's unilateral decision to cut their salary, the state-funded Central News Agency reported Monday.