Criminal Law — Homicide — Prosecutions for Motor Vehicle Homicide

The advent of the automobile brought into existence another means by which a person can be killed and homicide committed. In 1952 there were 38,000 deaths from motor vehicle accidents in the United States, 319 of them occurring in Nebraska. Add these deaths to another 1,350,000 injuries, many later resulting in death, and it is obvious that the law of homicide must be adjusted to meet the social problem created by the culpable driver. The purpose of this comment is to examine the history of criminal prosecutions for deaths arising out of automobile accidents and to compare prosecutions under the manslaughter statute with those under the Motor Vehicle Homicide Act which was enacted by the Nebraska Legislature in 1949