DANGEROUS MOTORISTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21131, 14 March 1932, Page 11

DANGEROUS MOTORISTS.

DRINK AND CARELESSNESS. INCREASED PENALTY DEMANDED ONE YEAR'S DISQUALIFICATION. By unanimous vole the annual conference of t lie New Zealand Federation of Justices of the Peace, held in Wanganui last week, has decided to ask for legislation making it mandatory for Courts to cancel driving licences for one year, at least, in cases in which offenders have been convicted of being in a state of intoxication while driving a motor vehicle, or of reckless driving. Mr. W. Bruce (Wanganui), in moving the remit, said that it was the minority of drivers who offended. '1 o travel at 35 miles an hour meant that a car had to go 50ft. a second. Negligence for a fraction of a second was all that was needed to cause loss of life or serious injury. Punishment for this class of offence varied. That was right, in that each case should he considered on its merits. It was contended, however, that ;iji offender, at least, should suffer cancellation of his licence for a year. The speaker had had the opinion of two motor mechanics. Both said they thought that the drastic course of confiscating the offender's car and cancelling his licence for life would be proper punishment. Their views gave an indication of how the public felt on this matter.

Figures were quoted by Air. Bruce to show that motor accidents were increasing and convictions for negligent driving were doing likewise. Summary convictions for drunkenness when in charge of cars totalled 294 in 1927; 306 in 1928; 418 in 1929, and 435 in 1930. Fatalities caused by motor accidents totalled 69 in 1921; 61' in 1922; 59 in 1923: 94 in 1924; 112 in 1925; 161 in 1926; 152 in 1927; 188 in 1928; 195 in 1929; and 199 in 1930. For the first five years the total was 395 and the latter five years 890, making a total for Iho 10 years of 1290 Convictions for negligent driving totalled 4259 in 1926; 5173 in 1927; 5076 in 1928; 4901 in 1929: and 3923 in 1930, making a total of 23,332 for five years. Judges' and Magistrates' Views. The speaker quoted opinions of several Judges and magistrates, all of which indicated clearly the seriousness of offences of this nature. Mr. E. C. Levvey, S.M., was reported as saying that a man who drove a car while he was in a state of intoxication was a "potential murderer." Mr. J. H. Salmon, S.M., was quoted as saying that he was not going to wait until some child was killed or maimed by a drunken lunatic. Ho was going to stop this sort of thing. "1 have said it before and I say it again —'Benzine and beer will not mix' " —was another quotation mentioned by Mr. Bruce as coming from a prominent judicial authority. "If the public were asked to express an opinion as to the punishment that should be meted out in these cases they would ask for the withdrawal of licences for 10 vears." said Mr. Bruce.

Mr. 11. Stevens (Manawatu) said that there were already sufficient regulations governing motor traffic and its control, but the pity of it was they were not enforced. Prosecutions were decreasing, while motor vehicles were increasing. There were less motor-cycles than cars, yet cycles were responsible for a far greater number of accidents. Mr. W. L. Kennedy (Taranaki) said he was in complete sympathy with the mover, but he wished it, marie clear that all these motor accidents had not been caused through drink. As coroner he had had experience of accidents at inquests, and in most of the cases there was not the slightest suspicion of drink. He maintained that carelessness was the cause of most of the accidents. Question of Jury Trials. Mr. Seaton (Wellington) asked whether in the event of the remit becoming law, would offenders have the right to be tried by jury. If they did there would never be a conviction. Mr. McFarlane: If we were asking for imprisonment that might be, but we are not going as far as that. The remit, in the following form, was carried unanimously:—"That in view of the alarming number of cases of offenders convicted of being in a state of intoxication while driving motor vehicles, and also of recklessly driving motor vehicles, and in order to materially reduce the enormous economic waste and the suffering attributable to many such offenders, the conference strongly recommends for the consideration of the Government that section 28 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1924. be amended to provide for the cancellation of licences of every person convicted on either offence for a period of not less than one year."

To prevent the issue of licences to prohibited persons the conference decided to ask that all licensing authorities be advised of the names of offenders who have been deprived of the right to drive.