The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-02-24
WAR ON KILLER
Who RUNS AWAY


case no police or peace officer Is In
the vicinity of the place of said in
jury or accident, then reporting the
same to the nearest police station.
peace officer or judicial officer. shall
be guilty of a. felony punishable by
a fine of not more than FIVE hundred
dollars (S500), to which may be adj
ded imprisonment for a term Of not
less than one year. and not more
than five years. or by both such fine
and imprisonment, and IL such per-
son can be convicted a second time
Of the foregoing offense, he shall be
guilty Of felony punishable by i'm.
prlsonment for a term of not less
than one year and mot more than
five years.
Upon conviction. the law also pro-
vides that the drivers license must
be revoked for one year, and II he is
caught driving any, one else's car he
may be fined not more than $500 and
imprisoned ten days 20 six months.
Favors Heavier Penalty
Todd Stops. secretary Hoosier
Motor Club. urged additional penal
ties in the law.
1.-THE Hoosier Motor Club has no
respect for the driver who does not
stop after an accident" he says.
1.-The optional prison sentence in the
law should be made a mandatory
sentence. Letting much a menace
to society off with a fine is not
enough. He should be made to suf-
fer all the law can possibly give.
The driver who fails to stop after
an accident is the driver the Hoosier
Motor Club is trying to weed out
and keep of our streets and public
highways"
Within recent memory of police.
seven persons have been killed in the
last few years by drivers who failed
to stop after the accident. Many
mere have been seriously injured.
mo penalty is too severe for
these drivers" says z. O. Snethen,
president Indianapolis Federation Of
Community Clubs%
They are morally and mentally
wrong. Perhaps many drivers figur-
ing in an accident fail to get their
cars stopped in the same block. Then
they are afraid TO go back. This is
pure cowardice. If they are IN the
right no harm can come to them.
II they run away. 1t Is to be as
sumed they are guilty OF negligence.
speeding or drunkenness. Drivers in
accidents are not locked up unless
their conduct deserves It. The man
who runs away is wrong from start
to finish. Heavier penalties and
more observing witnesses to get T.
cense. numbers are my suggestions
toward curbing this cowardly auto.
ist."
Better Enforcement Urged
Robert Humes. chief of the State
motor police. agrees with Coroner
Paul F. Robinson that IL is better
to get convictions on the present
law than none at all under a heavier
penalty.
''These. cases are usually tried be-
fore a Judge or jury in small COM
munities. Any judge or jury will
hesitate to impose a heavy jail SEN
tence on a driver who may in heart
be innocent. OF wrong intent. but who
Though negligence has figured in
an accident and in a moment Of
weakess ran away from the scene.
Enforcement Of the present law
Is better than more law. We are
after the 'cut-in' maniac. He
speeds along country roads. dodg-
ing in among the cars in the regu-
lar stream of traffic. He forces
other cars into the ditch and jeop-
ardizes the lives OF all motorists he
meets. He Is the chap who doesn't
stop after an accident, either. Once
we get our hands on him the law
is plenty good enough. It's catch
ing him that is the problem. Mo-
florists must cooperate. We must
have license numbers. They are APP
preciated even in cases of reckless
driving"
Indianapolis police are ordered to
arrest all persons figuring in auto
accidepts Too many times, II was
found, the wrong person was arrest
ed and the offender. the motorist
who caused the accident. was let go.
Five years ago. the board Of safety
took a step to prevent such mis-
taken AS result. all motorists in
accidents now are arrested. The ar.
rest Is technical. II he has not
broken speed or traffic laws, he has
nothing to fear. 1t is only the guilty
party the police are after, the board
explained.