Salt Lake Telegram | 1935-02-25 | Page 4 | Hit and Run Drivers

Hit and Run Drivers so CO far the time legislature has completely failed to toY Y meet its responsibility in the matter of dealing dealing dealing deal deal- ing with the arch fiend of the time highways time thc the run hit-and-run driver For that matter no measure measure meas incas ure nrc whatever has passed both houses to meet the challenge of ot lawlessness on the time road by automobile drivers In the time senate the thc two traffic measures offered offered of of- b by Senator Bamberger have been passed but they are largely concerned with fixin fixing liability The safety features carried are all aU necessary and desirable and the bills should be passed when hen they come up on the house cal cal- It is the house which deserves rebuke for its failure i 16 to discharge a a plain duty Representative Representative Marthakis introduced house honse bill 28 making drunken driving a felony felon where death results from an accident and house bill 3 37 making run hit-and-run driving a felony where death results sul The e house o e promptly killed both bills and has acted upon no other traffic legislation leg leg- whatever This is to ignore a major legislative responsibility to record incomprehensible incomprehensible incomprehensible nonchalance in the face of or highway slaughter that brands the state with shame The Thc Marthakis bills should be retrieved ant and passed In III no other wa way does docs oes it seem possible to clear murderous drivers from the time highways The fhe run hit driver is an inhumane Coard coward coward cow cow- ard wholly undeserving of mercy In some cases in which he lie is involved the accident re resulting resulting re- re suiting in injury or death may be bc unavoidable but imi his hi failure to stop and give aid to his hiR victim victim vic vie tim is wilful and intentional No o circumstance may mar be pleaded in miti mitigation Not knowing whether his victim may mar live or die and wholly unmindful of or his hiR suffering his brutal disregard disregard gard for a human places him hini in the time same category with those who may be bc charged with voluntary manslaughter though under the time present law Jaw he lie ma may only be char charged ed with involuntary in in- voluntary manslaughter Time The penalties even under the limit of the law are arc neither punitive nor exemplary to the point of effectiveness in cutting down the red record of death on Utah highways Ever Every drunken driver is a potential killer wilfully at large The Thc present law dealing with him is a farce It gives enforcement officers no adequate weapon to deal with him The number of repeaters among both hoth sexes establishes establishes es es- conclusively that drunken drivers laugh at the law officers and courts They Ther must be driven fro from n time the road and there is no apparent way to do it except to classify them themas as felons and deal den I with them as severely as their crimes demand If the legislature at this session fails to todeal todeal todeal deal with sith these issues upon the time conscience of each member there should weigh a new burden each time a run hit-and-run or drunken driver leaves eaves human blood in his path