OCR Text |
Show Less Horsepower, Less Speed, Less Killing Unless, there is a definite change in our attitude toward violators of traffic laws, the accident problem will never be solved with modern automobiles on highways. The annual an-nual death toll which last year passed the 38,000 mark, will grow larger, not smaller. , There is no excuse for the man who drives his car 70 and 80 miles an hour on a public road. When we pamper him by letting him off with a small fine or perhaps just a warning, we are, in effect, encouraging en-couraging him. to go out and commit com-mit the offense again. And next time he may take an innocent life. A high percentage of automobile accidents, and especially those of the more disastrous type, are wholly or partially the result of "alcohol at the wheel." In many states drunken drivers have a better bet-ter than even chance of escaping scot-free. They are punished but mildly, if at all. "Repeaters" are numbered in the thousands. There is but one solution to that phase of the problem and that is the permanent revocation of the license of any and all drivers apprenended operating a car while under the influence in-fluence of liquor. The public interest in-terest demands that the utmost and severest legal authority be exerted. Experience has proven that a substantial percentage cf drivers cannot be educated into safe practices. prac-tices. Nor can they be frightened into them. They can and must, in that case, be forced into them, or be deprived of the driving privilege. privil-ege. Our dilatory attitude in the matter mat-ter of accident prevention has its ghastly reflection in the statistics. Old ideas of traffic control and driving requirements must be superseded sup-erseded by restrictions adapted to faster cars, better highways, and the constantly Increasing traffic conge' tion, or else horse-power and HX-'cd of cars must be limited by law at the factory, if traffic killings are to be reduced. |