Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-10
The DRINKING Driver

Your recent editorial, stop
This Slaughter" was calcu-
lated, no doubt, to arouse
thinking as to what might be
done to lessen highway fatah-
ties and injuries. But the
January 4 letter from John
E. Street contributes nothing
asserting only that the
drinking driver is the grim
reaper, together with totally
inaccurate supposed quotation
from the National Safety
Council that at least 40 per
cent Of all traffic. accidents are
due to drinking.
The National Safety Coun-
Gil has never issued any state
ment to the effect that 40 per
cent, or any figure like that,
of all traffic accidents are due
to drinking. The councils
1854 edition OF Accident
Facts" on page "a. gives a
tabulation of violations per
100 drivers in motor vehicle
traffic accidents" The table
shows that in fatal accidents,
six out Of 100 drivers were
under the influence Of alcohol.
1t shows that in all accidents.
fatal and nonfatal. three out
of 100 drivers were under the
influence of alcohol.
The tabulation shows. fur
Their, that the grim reaper"
is speed, not, as Mr.. Street
asserts. the drinking driver.
In fatal accidents the viola
ton Of 20 out Of 100 drivers
is recorded as speeding. Seven
out of 100 drivers in fatal ac-
cidents did not have right OF
way, and nine out of 100 failed
TO keep to the right of center
line. Each of those three
classes of violations caused
more fatal accidents than did
drivers under the influence OF
alcohol. And in the three
groups. a total Of IS out Of
100 drivers in fatal accidents
were guilty of violations. as
compared with the aforemen-
toned six out of 100 drivers
in fatal accidents who were
under the influence of alcohol.
1t is no help to a solution
of the problem of traffic deaths
to single out the six drivers
out OF 100 who were under the
influence of alcohol, and say
nothing about the As other
drivers in 100 who are guilty
OF one of the three classes of
violations each one Of which
is responsible for more deaths
than are the drinking drivers.
This is in no sense a defense
Of drinking drivers. But before
we undertake to find a solu-
ton to the problem of traffic
fatalities, 1t is important to
learn who are the drivers who
are guilty of the most viola
lions which result in accidents
and fatalities.
Germane to the subject Of
traffic fatalities and drinking
as a cause of some of them.
here are facts: The per capita
consumption Of distilled spirits
is higher in the District of Co
lumbia than in any State. Ac-
cording to the National Safety
Councils Accident Facts"
(p. 56) the mileage death rate
deaths per million vehicle
miles, in the District Of CO.
lumbia was rs in 1858. That is
lower than the figure for any
State. The population death
rate deaths per 100000 pop
ulationD in the District of Co
lumbia was 1T, while the ma
tional average was 24.1. It
seems logical to conclude that.
at least as to the District Of
Columbia. a high per capita
consumption Of distilled spirits
does not result in a high motor
vehicle death rate.
c. l.. Chaplin.
~ Il
To protect highways against
damage, many States have
weighing stations to check
trucks for overlooking. AS
many fatal accidents are
caused by drunken drivers, it
would be we'll for the States to
protect life and limb by set
ting up drunk testing stations
to check drivers who are over
loaded with booze.