ONE FOR THE MORGUE.
SIB,—Your correspondents John Powell and Basil Cripps (January 5) should both know bow to answer their* own questions, and you, sir, were nodding when you moiled your editorial reply. Of course 'Driving under the influence is not a crime in the way that, say, theft is a crime.' If your correspondents are too prejudiced to accept the usual argument about intention, may I give a more cynical one, namely, about results? All being well and after a successful outing, a thief has robbed someone and a crime has been committed; all being well and after a successful outing, a driver under the influence has got home safely and harmlessly, and no crime whatever has been committed. This quite often happens, oddly enough.
The point cannot too often be made that the terrible thing is not to drive when under the in- fluence, but to have a serious accident at any time, drunk or sober. (May I remind you that the statistics for the Christmas accidents of 1959 show that in 44 per cent. of the accidents involving a fatality no alcoholic influence could be attributed to anyone at all? What sort of accidents were these, I wonder?) The proper way to drive is to avoid having an accident, and that is what millions of sensible, ,cautious motorists do to the best of their ability; as, a start—ra very important start— they avoid being intoxicated while driving.
But it is not in itself a crime, whatever the law may say. Everybody knows it, including all magis- trates and most juries. And in spite of their dis- ingenuous questions, Messrs. Powell and Cripps know it too.
GEORGE BOOTH The Dower Rouse, Elstree, Hens
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