| Show Run Hit ii Driving 1879 for T THERE HERE were some extremely I interesting figures in the paper the other day day ex ex extremely interesting even though on the surface surface surface sur sur- face they may have seemed dully statistical The figures were a year end report on traffic traffic traffic fic violation cases and fines and forfeitures collected oU on them in police court Here were tb the figures figures Speeding 1581 cases f collected in fines and forfeitures ignoring stop I signs 1742 cases ignoring red lights 2083 cases failing falling to make proper driving signals cases 1851 reckless driving driving ing lag 73 cases 2222 drunken driving cases eases run hit driving cases 1898 The totals as given above are not ot nearly so interesting as the breakdown on the average average average aver aver- age fine or forfeiture for each type of traffic Violation Heres Here's the way the breakdown goes The average drunken driver paid the heaviest penalty pen pen- alty alty The average reckless driver paid the next heaviest penalty penaltY The run hit driver came next with 1879 then the driver who failed to make a proper signal with the speeder with and those who ignored stop signals or red lights with an average penalty of around 5 a aThe The interesting thing about that breakdown breakdown breakdown break break- down to us is that average penalty for the run hit driver of 1879 That's astonishing run Hit driving is supposed to be a serious offense offense certainly certainly just as serious as drunken driving It always involves some kind of an accident whereas drunken driving may not Furthermore run hit driving quite commonly would be drunken driving if the motorist hadn't run away The reason for many a hit- hit run case is that the driver is intoxicated knows it and tries to escape a drunken driving driving driving ing conviction If hes he's caught aft after r a few hours or days he cant can't be charged with drunken driving driving and and he takes the chance of talking his way out of the run hit driving charge or ort at t least getting off with a much lighter penalty penalty penalty pen pen- alty than he would have received had he been charged and convicted of drunken driving think the run hit-run Actually we average driving case should be regarded as an even more serious offense than the average drunken driving case for the reasons cited Yet exactly the reverse is true and it is even more lightly than reckless driving The penalty penalty penalty pen pen- alty for the average run hit driver is less than twice as much as the penalty for a driver who fails falls to make a proper signal signal signal-an an offense which certainly cannot be regarded as a major traffic violation Those statistics show us what's wrong with our campaign against run hit driving in Salt Lake ake City They prove that it is judicial leniency which is encouraging hit run hit run and drivers to run after an accident Who wouldn't prefer to take the chance of a fine of 1879 IF HE IS CAUGHT to the certainty of a fine if he stops to give ai aid after an accident and is charged with drunken driving We commend these figures to the judges of our police court for study study and and thought And we hope the study and thought will then be followed by a change of policy in handling run hit driving cases of the future |
