ABSOLUTE ABSTENTION WHILE MOTORING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 145, 22 June 1939, Page 8

ABSOLUTE ABSTENTION WHILE MOTORING

COMPLETE BAN ON LIQUOR

PROPOSAL ENDORSED BY ROAD SAFETY COUNCIL

ALSO STRICTER PENALTIES FOR DRUNKEN DRIVERS

(Per Press Association). WELLINGTON. June 21. A proposal that it should be made an offence for any motorist to drink intoxicating; liquor during a journey or within half an hour of driving a car, was to-day endorsed by the New Zealand Road Safety Council. So also were proposals for stricter penalties for drunken drivers. The Minister of Transport, Hon. R. Semple, said the proposals had been approved by a sub-committee set up to eonsidei them on the eve of Parliament assembling. . So that stricter precautions could be taken toP r ? tec ‘ public from intoxicated motorists, it was proposed that ff should be made an additional and separate offence, c b nenaltv than intoxicated driving, for any driver to take liquor while driving, or to drive within hall an hour of taking hquot. The sub committee, in making the recommendation added that it was not implied that a lapse of halt an h ™™‘ 11 time' nate the effect of alcohol already consumed. The actual time varied from two to three hours, according to the individual and xaned irom two to ’ hasised too, that the proposal the circumstances. It was cmpnasiscu, , aimed at reasonable precautions for public- safety and involve any other ethical or moral issues.

The Commissioner of Transport, Mr. G. L. Laurenson, said that in the past two months accidents in which the driver responsible was either intoxicated or under the influence of liquor had resulted in eight deaths and 58 injuries. Statistics P r » ve^.l J® severity of itis type of accident. VV hile of all motor accidents on an average one in 18 was fatal, one in eight was fatal in cases of drivers under the influence of drink and one in six in cases of intoxication. Representing the North Island Motor Union, Mr. W. O’Callaghan expressed objection to the proposal, even if it were endorsed by the council. It would be, he considered, entirely unreasonable to expect such a law to be enforced or observed. It would penalise an overwhelming proportion of motor drivers. The offence of intoxicated driving would be rendered sufficiently unattractive if the proposals before the council for severer penalties became law. "In my opinion this regulation would destroy the whole social fabjtc of the country,” he said. 'lt woula mean that I could not get into my car visit my friends and have a drink with them and then drive home. It is impossible and unreasonable. Mr Martin Luckie supported this view' He said that he thought the least that should be done was to give the heavier penalties a trial first be fore imposing so stringent a regulation. It would only make the moderate man suffer for the man who went to extremes. He pointed out that the hours at which such accidents were most prevalent were stated oy Mr. Laurenson to be from four m the afternoon until after midnight. ms suggested that drinking in hotels after hours was prevalent and it might be more effective to take steps to deal more severely with this offence. Mr Laurenson said tnat of the eight fatal accidents he had mentioned, m only one was it possible to prove intoxication. In all the others the dangerous man was the man who was merely lit up. The borderline cases were the dangerous ones.

What Decent Citizens Observe Mr. F. c. Spratt said the measure ; would only enforce what the decent I citizen ordinarily observed. Manypeople who were not total abstainer., : had given up taking liquor when dnv- , ing, or for a period before When I am given a privilege by the State I , have no legal right and certainly no moral right for objecting to that privilege being hedged about with precautions for the safety of the majority of citizens," he said. "I am not going to be a respecter of persons. If a man goes to a sherry party or a cocktail party and drinks on an empty stomach, he ought to be shown where he gets off.' , . , The Minister said that when he had assumed office he had made up his mind to refrain from severe penalties. The best influence V> make the ror<safe was moral influence by various forms of propaganda. He had used that method, concentrating on this, the mind of the driver. Instead of decreasing, this type of accident had continued on the up-grade. Service-car drivers were forbidden to take liquor, he said. In 1937-38 23,000,000 passengers were

carried without a single fatality, j There were 1.4 injuries, including minor injuries, per million miles . driven. That was a record not bettered in the civilised world. If the rest of the accident rate were reduced proportionately it would decrease road accidents by 70 per cent., and there were not supermen, but just ordinary New Zealanders who had learnt to master their cars, obey the rules of the j road and keep sober. , New Zealand aviators had a record equal to or better than any others in the world. Cook Strait Airways held a world record for freedom from accidents to passengers. That record could not be bettered, for it was a clean slate, and these pilots were not permitted to take liquor hours before they went into the air. ‘‘lf we impose that condition on service drivers and .- viators, as we do. why should we not impose it upon ourselves and comply vith the same standards?” said the | Minister.

, COUNCIL'S RECOMMENDATIONS [ Per Association. ) WELLINGTON. June 21. | Heavier penalties for drivers convicted of intoxication were advocated I to-day by the New Zealand Road i Safety Council. Compulsory cancelI lation of licences for considerable I periods, except in exceptional circum- . stances, was recommended, as well as I the withdrawal of power to suppress I the names of such drivers on com ic- ' tion of intoxicated ' drivers from the I benefits of third-party insurance. i Proposals were: — I First Offence: A fine of up to £lOO. ’or three months’ imprisonment and (the driving licence cancelled for at : least 12 months unless the Court I found special reason. Anv subsequent offence: A fine of iup to £lOO, and or three months' I imprisonment and the licence cancelled for' at least three years unless i the Court found special reason otherwise After the expiry of the cancelI lation the consent of the Court, must .be obtained to secure a new licence. ; “Personally I give wholehearted 'support to this proposal.” said Hon. R. ’Semple. “Concellation of the licence Js the greatest deterrent to offenders. Since I became Minister 1 don t i remember a single case of being ap- ! proached concerning a fine, but I | have had scores and scores of requests for restoration of cancelled ■ licences. . A further proposal also endorsed | was that the power of the Court to suppress the names of ©.Tenders should be withdrawn in cases of drivers convicted of intoxication, ex-

HEAVIER PENALTIES

cept in special circumstances. It was recommended that thirdparty insurance protection should be i allowed the victim, but not the In- ! toxicated driver. If the driver, or a j person in charge of a car were conivicted of intoxication in charge of it, | or the Court attributed the accident to such fact, the insurance company I should be empowered to recover • from him any disbursements paid on I his behalf under the third-party insurance Act with regard to the accident.