THE DRUNKEN DRIVER

Shannon News, 4 November 1927, Page 2

THE DRUNKEN DRIVER

MENACE OF THE ROAD

There is almost daily evidence that these two cannot safely run together. In spite of warnings from the Bench, accompanied in many eases by fines and temporary cancellations of licenses, drivers are still being brought before the Court all over the Dominion charged with being drunk, or under the influence of liquor, when driving motor cars. It is not surprising therefore that magistrates are becomingtired of imposing penalties that have apparently no deterrent effect, ano threaten to make the punishment imprisonment in all eases. Mr. Mosley, Stipendiary Magistrate at Christchurch, expressed himself very emphatically from the Bench on Saturday. He had on the previous day sentenced a man to a month’s imprisonment for being drunk when driving a motor car, and had another man before him on a similar charge. He declared that “the court will have to send these men to gaol right away. We cannot have the public endangered by them. We simply cannot have it. The only course will be to send them to gaol.”, “Day after day, day after day,” continued Mr. Mosley, “men are charged with having been intoxicated while in charge of cars, and I have done my best to warn them. • Why a man in charge of a car should take any liquor j whatever I don’t understand. It’s be- j yond me. And now I issue a further I warning. I am satisfied that 90 per cent, of the'accidents are caused by men having taken a little liquor. Their [ equilibrium is disturbed, they become ! niore venturesome, they take risks they, would not take in the ordinary course, and it must be stopped.” The case before the Court was that of a man who had a wife and ten children, and was 50 years of age. The car he" had been driving collided with a motor-cyclist, damaging the cycle, but not its "rider. There was a lady Justice on the bench with the S.M., and after consulting with her the Magistrate announced that tney would take into, consideration the man’s large family, and fine him £lO instead of sending him to goal. The quality of mercy thus tempered justice. Although this man was thus dealt with leniently, there is no doubt that | the {threat of imprisonment will be given more general effect to than has been the case hitherto. A motor driver under the influence of liquor is undoubtedly a menace to every user of the. roads, and also-often even to people walking on a footpath. If there is one class of person who should be absolutely sober it should be the drivers of vehicles of any kind, and especially of quick-moving motor i cars. If such j drivers will not voluntarily abstain from intoxicating liquor when driving or about to drive a car, then ail must agree with Mr. Mosley that they must be compelled to or suffer drastic punishment, As the Magistrate stated, almost daily warnings are issued on the matter, and if the warnings and fines are not sufficiently deterrent, there is nothing < ;se for it but imprisonment and permai ent cancellation of licenses to drive. The danger must be stepped.