On This Day: September 10th - The First Drunk Driving Arrest

On September 10th, 1897, the first drunk driving arrest took place in England. So who was the culprit you might ask. A young taxi driver from London named George Smith. He was so intoxicated when he was driving he ran his taxi right in the side of a building. This set into motion the idea that drinking alcohol and operating a vehicle might not be such a good idea. This event is historically relevant because it would force both the British and United States governments to enforce some sort of laws concerning the consumption of alcohol and driving a motorized vehicle. So what happened to George Smith for his night of driving under the influence through the streets of London? How would one determine the punishment for this act? These were the questions that the law enforcers and government had to answer. George Smith's punishment turned out to be twenty five shilling after he plead guilty.

In 1910, drunk driving laws took effect in New York City. In 1936 a device called the drunk-o-meter was introduced in order to help police officers determine whether or not someone had consumed too much alcohol. In 1953 a retired police captain named Robert Borkenstein invented the breathalyzer which would become the popular device used by police officers. George Smith would start a trend that would be a common occurrence in America. Many drunk driving incidents are recorded every year in the United States and Great Britain. Many lives have been lost due to drunk driving incidents in the United States and Great Britain as well.

"First drunk driving arrest." 2008. The History Channel website. 13 Sep 2008, 07:08 http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=Article&id=52850.