Careless Driving
| Author | A. C. Watson |
| Published date | 01 January 1933 |
| Date | 01 January 1933 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X3300600108 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Careless Driving
SOME
PROBLEMS
By
CHIEF-INSPECTOR
A. C.
WATSON
BootIe Police
THE Road Traffic Act, 1930, raises several interesting
problems.
For
example, let us
turn
to Section
12
of
the Act, which
reads:
'If
any person drives a motor vehicle
on a road without due care and attention or without reason-
able consideration for other persons using the road, he shall be
guilty of an offence.'
There
are two offences in this section,
but
it is intended
only to deal with the offence' without due care and attention.'
This
offence seems to be quite clearly defined,
but
the writer
has come across several points which were not apparent at a
first reading of the section.
The
offence is closely connected
with'
running
down'
and accident cases which are dealt with
in the civil courts, and police officers must have experienced
difficulty at times in deciding whether the offence is civil or
criminal.
In
Section 11, which deals with reckless or danger-
ous driving to the danger of the public, there seems to be a
greater gulf between the civil and criminal proceedings.
As a Police Officer, the writer realises that civil matters
are best left alone,
but
what can one do when this semi-civil
legislation is forced upon
us?
In
practice, it is found that the
majority of careless driving offences are sufficiently strong to
warrant proceedings for dangerous or reckless driving under
Section
11,
but
in many the evidence, as before stated, is such
64
To continue reading
Request your trial