ROAD RESPONSIBILITY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 3, 4 July 1939, Page 8

ROAD RESPONSIBILITY

Motorists, individually and collectively,'have* good reason to feel cort' cern about the effect on publio opiiv ion of the number of cases of road accidents shown to have been due to the influence of liquor on the drivers of the vehicles. The evidence in cases which have come before the Courts can certainly be held to justify more or less drastic action to curb the abuse. The criterion of any measures designed to check an evil is whether they are practicable or not. Increased penalties for con- ' viction of offences obviously come within the category of-what is practicable, and, within limits, act as deterrents. But when regulations are made which appear unreasonable to | the majority of the community andj correspondingly difficult to enforce, j the effect of the law is weakened, i Thus to make it an offence to drive! a motor vehicle within half an hour | after drinking liquor, suggested as one of the provisions of the proposed Transport Amendment Bill, has been strongly criticised by motorists. Ai'guments against the proposed "half-hour rule" were adduced at the executive meeting of the Wellington branch, of the Automobile Association last night, but none in favour. Through tlie chairman the meeting expressed sympathy with the efforts of the authorities to reduce drunkenness in cars, but noted the difficulties. It is always difficult to secure reform hi matters of conduct by legislation. It should be part of the ethics of motor-driving to refrain from any action liable to increase the dangers of the road, and drinking certainly comes under the ban. What associations of motorists could do would be to endeavour at all times to raise the standard of driving among their members and so build up a code of conduct that would rule out drinking on the part of drivers as an unsocial action and therefore to be condemned. Example is the best form of education, and while the sanction of the law is needed to punish offenders, the best results in the long run are likely to be attained through the spread of a sense of responsibility on the part .of all road-users.