

uvLM.a versus 



By C. M. Seagraves 



yf N THE May issue of the REC- 

 l/l ORD is shown the results of 

 \__y a Highway Accident Cause Sur- 

 vey that is being conducted by this de- 

 partment. Farm Bureau members have 

 selected as the second principal cause for 

 highway accidents — "driving while 

 intoxicated." 



Here is a situation that will get out 

 of hand very soon unless immediate ac- 

 tion is taken to correct it. The effect 

 of alcohol on the human mind and body 

 is too well known to need detailed com- 

 ment here. It has been the subject of 

 several recent investigations conducted by 

 unbiased observers trained in scientific 

 methods, so the results are free from 

 prejudice. We find the opinion uni- 

 formly expressed by these observers that 

 the drinking of intoxicating liquors, even 

 in the most moderate degree, adversely 

 affects driving ability. 



The State of Illinois requires the re- 

 porting of all accidents in which death 

 or personal injury results. After careful 



investigating they determine the apparent 

 principal cause for each accident. On 

 the official state record we find that the 

 number of accidents caused by drinking 

 drivers is steadily increasing. Here are 

 the figures, by months, issued by the Di- 

 vision of Highways, on the number of 

 accidents caused by drinking drivers in 

 1936. 



January 



February 



March 



April 



May 



June 



These figures substantiate what many 

 of us have observed, namely, the number 

 of cars parked, almost any evening, 

 around taverns, many of which are miles 

 from town and are not especially noted 

 for their food; the increasing number of 

 bad accidents we hear about that occur 

 after dark and which cannot be wholly 

 accounted for by the fact that night driv- 



A Driven License Law will 



Help Put the Drunken Driver 



Out of Circulation 



AcTHC Photo 

 THE DRIVER OF THIS CAR IS DEAD .... 

 to !t th* young lady who was with him. Thair livai might have bean 

 •pared, had he slackened hit tpeed with nightfall. 



ing has more inherent dangers than day- 

 'ight driving; and by the close escapes 

 many of us have experienced in night 

 driving caused by operators who were 

 partially blind from one cause or an- 

 other. It seems reasonable to suspect 

 that the cars we see around liquor dis- 

 pensaries are driven home some time 

 during the night because by morning 

 most of them are gone. It would also 

 seem that the number of liquor bottles 

 observed on the right of way do not get 

 there through any pwwer of locomotion 

 of their own. 



Legal Difficulties 



The legal difficulties of proving that 

 a driver has been drinking are many un- 

 less the driver was so manifestly in- 

 toxicated at the time of the accident that 

 (1) several people observed his condi- 

 tion, and (2) his defense attorney is not 

 able to raise a reasonable doubt in the 

 minds of the jury that his client's ap- 

 parently dazed condition was due to the 

 fright or physical injury received in the 

 accident, or that the smell of alcohol was 

 caused by some medicine that the ac- 

 cused had taken to alleviate the pain of a 

 toothache, or for any other cause. Fur- 

 ther, in many cases, especially in rural 

 non-collision accidents, the investigating 

 officer does not have the opportunity of 

 questioning the driver until many hours 

 after the actual occurrence of the acci- 

 dent. In this case even if the driver was 

 under the influence of liquor, and the 

 officer susp)ected it, he would be unable 

 to report the accident as to its true prob- 

 able cause. So, instead of having a total 

 picture here that seems much worse than 

 it is, we find that the figures give the 

 tery minimum effect to the situation and 

 in all probability do not reflect more 

 than half of the accidents attributable 

 to alcohol. 



We may accept without question the 

 theory that it is none of our business who 

 drinks or what he drinks, and that it is 

 still less our business to determine 

 whether or not liquor has its place in 

 gracious living. But what is our busi- 

 ness is to determine who is operating a 

 motor vehicle on the public thorough- 

 fares, and if he is fit to drive such ve- 

 hicle on the same thoroughfares that all 

 of us and our children are forced to use. 

 It would seem to be everybody's obliga- 

 tion, as well as privilege, not only to re- 

 port any cases of drunken driving he 



(Continued on page 22) 



HJNE. 1937 



21 



