SAFE MOTORING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22349, 21 February 1936, Page 15

SAFE MOTORING

Sir, —I hope that you will not consider it as an illustration of "the bickering state of mind" if I venture to suggest that the praiseworthy object you aim at in the article under the above heading would bo more likely indicated by a change of ons word in the dosing sentence. That reads: "If the speed demon could be exorcised the roads would be much safer." The change I propose is that the words "alcohol demon" should take the place of the words "speed demon." Speed is the effect of a cause, and to exorcise the effect the cause must be dealt with. Tt is now an indisputable fact that the cause of the speed which leads to hundreds of people being killed in New Zealand year by year is alcohol, which may weli, therefore, be branded as a demon. It was one of our New Zealand magistrates who. not long ago, described persons who undertook to drive their motor-cars after partaking of alcoholic liquor as "potential murderers." When it is definitely known that a very small quantity of alcohol is sufficient* to disturb the mental and muscular faculties that are immediately called into action in the emergency of an impending motor-car collision or a threatened contact with a pedestrian, also that the deleterious effect of alcoholic liquor lasts for 12 hours after consumption, the speedy exorcisation of this demon, alcohol, will be seen to be urgently demanded in the interests of safetv on the roads. W. J. Williams.