Show Bull bulletin effit from police department sheriffs office alcohol and accidents accidee ts A new york traffic court judge states his studied opinion that 40 per p e r cent cen t of 0 f all a ll 11 traffic tr af fi c accidents ac c ld c n t s 1 evolve n v oi 1 liquor iq 0 r a and ni a C chicago h ica g 0 t traffic r a f court judge places the figure at 60 per cent but both figures exceed by several hundred per cent the totals which show up in the official records in short police estimates legal definitions and court interpretations of the terms intoxication and under the influence are so variable that it is impossible to obtain convictions of any except persons who are arc obviously drunk in some states pen penalties albies are so heavy that officials hesitate to arrest or convict persons for driving while under the influence in others officials fear to press a charge archarge of driving while drunk because public opinion has not been developed to a sufficient extent thus it is preposterous for anyone to state that thus and so many accidents were caused by alcohol we need no statistics no however now wever to tell us that drinking drivers and pedestrians constitute a serious s present day traffic menace the fact that drunk driver arrests reach their peak on saturday indicates that the problem of drinking at the nineteenth hole or the football game or the weekend party remains a grave one tho the fact that such arrests climb to their peak between midnight and two a m means that many persons still drink heavily at roadhouses and night clubs and then try to drive home the time will come when driving after drinking will he be e placed in the same category with carrying concealed weapons robbery and other misdemeanors about which there is absolutely no question in the public or official mind it will come through legislation improved court procedure and the development of adequate test methods that time unfortunately probably is not near enlightened person s will not wait until this slow process forces them into gentility they will see the problem as the social scourge that it is and regardless of their personal attitudes toward liquor they will vill work to see sec that drinking in g a and n d driving are forever separated |