Archive Watch

Drinking and Driving (1950)

1950 · Short film · 6 min

Synopsis

One of a series of films produced for Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company by Traffic Safety Films, Inc. and the Los Angeles Police Department, "Drinking and Driving" dates to 1950. 00:00 The film provides a dramatized account of an accident labeled “HBD” — had been drinking. The narrator Sgt. Bruce of the LAPD cautions against that “deadly mixture of alcohol and gasoline” and that such a mixture can lead to death. Some drivers are described as being “too cautious” (mark 01:45) such as the man creeping along because he’s had too much to drink — only to catch a patrolman’s attention. A sergeant explains at mark 02:35 how one in every six accidents involve a drunken driver as he looks at photos with smashed autos, adding that many drunk drivers are “average normal people who used an intoxicant in moderation and considered themselves perfectly capable of driving a car or walking in front of a car.” At mark 03:10 we watch a simulation of a “drunk” motorist behind the wheel with slowed reflexes, as well as vision and hearing. When drunk driving is suspected, police conduct “careful scientific tests” (mark 04:00) to prove a driver is incapable of driving because of alcohol or some other substance or ailment. The officer also notes that a drunk driver is 55-times more likely to have an accident than a sober driver. Each driver must hold an individual responsibility not to drink and drive, the officer says at mark 05:35, and access their own ability to drive.5:43: The film cautions…

Uploader's description on archive.org

Details

Running time
6 minutes
Language
English
Collection
Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive