Salt Lake Telegram | 1926-03-24 | Page 8 | One Course for All

I. I One Course for All I I department records of fatal automobile autor auto- auto I r j j mob mobile lc accidents in Salt Lake reflect Lake reflect a aS a'S S 'S public apathy which promises no solution of the he problem Since January 1 1925 thirty- thirty one ono persons were killed in iii thirty accidents Official records seem to indicate that there is isS 11 little more to the story for feW ew prosecutions S yere instituted and on only Iv on ont one conviction was wasi 1 r recorded cor cd In i the case of the conviction sent sen- sen t t n e was suspended in court on th the defend defendants defendant's defendants defendant's dant's d nt s 's agreement agreement- to make certain payments t to the family of the victim One case is still pending and one driver held n negligent escaped cs- cs aped because no complaint was filed Twenty drivers were exonerated when the theS S S facts were vre laid before the county attorney S In lii seven cases neither the coroner nor the S county attorney had anything to do with the settlements agreed upon Many other cities would be shocked by such a record feeling that tha they were remiss in their public obligations obliga obliga- Here the problem seems to arouse no nop fp public p blie lic concern and is accepted more or less S cs gg s a matter of course i J In many fatal accidents the drivers of the cars cais are blameless A goo good nu number ber of the theS S accidents are unavoidable and perhaps the local ocal record is reflective of this condition Nevertheless the city should have a uniform procedure for investigating and nd disposing of fatal accidents It should not be left to the principals in an mi accident to effect settlements settleS settle settle- S 1 ments out of court court because something more than civil issues are at stake Nor should some 6 sOme me cases be taken before the coroner while 5 others never get past the county attorney S We Ve believe that every fatal automobile accident should be probed to the bottom S Every possible effort should be made to fix S responsibility and where criminal negligence S is established punishment should be imposed on on the offender We cannot expect to rid the the streets of Salt Lake of drunken drivers and Vand a a the like if we pa pay no particular attenS attention attention atten atten- S tion to their responsibility for fatal accidents S Manifestly it is the duty of a coroner to investigate every violent death and to this end all fatal automobile accidents should be investigated by him Uniform action n of this kind would dispose of the uncertainty which attends the present system It would involve involveS involve'S S 'S no fb o hazards on the innocent driver for it A would give him an official clearance which f h he does not now enjoy S f