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Show Car Inspections Serve to Make Motoring Safer Results Becoming A pparent in Terms Of Fewer Accidents Chargeable To Mechanical Failures There are several subjects which are more commonly discussed dis-cussed in recent years. Certainly not the least of these subjects is highway safety, and automobile inspection. And usually, some questions are raised. Like did you pass? The query is often posed by one who has recently been exposed ex-posed to PMVI periodic motor vehicle inspection. And the answer, in a surprisingly high percentage of cases, is no! However, How-ever, the answer may not be so surprising, when you consider one expert's opinion. In testimony before the House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Com-merce Committee, H. C. Stivers, then president of the Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association, estimated that 42 of the cars on the highways have defects that affect the safe operation of the vehicle. Supporting this figure is a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It reports that 42 of the vehicles vehi-cles brought in for inspection, voluntarily or in spot checks, do not pass the minimum requirements for mechanical safety. The Institute's study was categorized in four groups: Vehicles Vehi-cles up to one year old (25 rejection rate) ; two to five years (40 rejection rate) ; six to ten years (51 rejection rate) ; and 11 years or older (53 rejection rate). In another report, the City of Detroit utilized a specially developed test lane to ferret out defects in automobiles. A voluntary inspection program of two weeks duration last May, involving approximately one thousand cars, showed that four This could have been forestalled. In Windsor, Ontario, a policeman removed the tags from a car following a safety inspection. With brakes defective and alignment components worn, this car was rejected. Repairs had to be made before plates were returned to the owner. A more careful motorist would have been able to avert this embarrassment if he were in the habit of having his car checked periodically by competent mechanics. out of ten cars were mechanically mechani-cally unsafe. Major defects centered around improper wheel alignment and steering assembly. Other components that inspection teams check closely for defects include shock absorbers, windshield wipers, headlight aim and wheel vibration. Without question, they all affect the safe operation of a vehicle. Annual in Ontario Just across the border from Detroit, in Windsor, Ontario, automobile inspection has been an annual occurrence for the past six years. It's conducted con-ducted both on a voluntary basis, and in spot checks during dur-ing May. The vehicle test equipment is owned by the Provincial government; tests are conducted con-ducted by Windsor police. Police Chief Gordon Preston and his department are very pleased by the growing numbers num-bers of Windsor motorists who volunteer their cars for inspection. in-spection. Their most recent test period showed that of 4700 owners who voluntarily put their cars through the check lanes, almost al-most half couldn't pass the test. Owners failing the test were instructed to have their cars repaired to bring them back up to the standards set down by the Provincial government. gov-ernment. However, the point is that by volunteering, motorists are showing their concern with the safety of their vehicles moreover, they're doing something some-thing about it. In the Windsor program last year, safety officials also ordered or-dered 327 vehicles through the test equipment vehicles that were obviously in disrepair, and from appearances, unsafe. Fifty-seven were approved, 145 were rejected and had to have repairs made, while 125 were totally condemned. Accidents Reduced It would seem, after a lot of talk about automobile safety and vehicle inspection, something some-thing really concrete is being done about it. All states now are required to implement a program of vehicle inspection, within guidelines issued by the National Highway Safety Bureau Bur-eau or take the chance of losing some of their Federal highway construction funds. |
