The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutClinton News-Record, 1969-05-15, Page 17The News -Record, May 15, 1969 — Car Care Supplement -- Page 5 Car Inspections Serve to Make Motoring Safer Results BecomingA pparent in T erms Of Fewer Accidents Chargeable To Mechanical Failures There are several subjects which are more commonly dis- cussed in recent years, Certainly not the Ieast of these subjects is highway safety, and automobile inspectioti, And usually, some questions axe raised. . Like -- did you pass? The query is often posed by one who has recently been ex- posed to PMVI— periodic motor vehicle inspection. And the answer, in a surprisingly high percentage of cases, is no! •How- ever, the answer may not be so surprising, when you consider one expert's opinion. In testimony before the House Interstate and Foreign 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 vela. cies 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: Vehi- cles up to one year old (25% rejection rate) ; two to five 'year (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 out of ten cars were 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 con- ducted both on a voluntary basis, and in spot checks dur- ing May. The vehicle test equipment is owned by the Provincial government; tests are con- ducted by Windsor police, Police Chief Gordon Preston and his department are very pleased by the growing num- bers of Windsor motorists who volunteer their cars for in- spection. Their most recent test period showed that of 4700 owners who voluntarily put their cars through the check lanes, 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 thestandards set down by the Provincial gov- ernment. However, the point is that by volunteering, motorists are showing their concern with the safety of their vehicles — moreover, they're doing some- thing about it. In the Windsor program last year, safety officials also or- dered 327 vehicles through the test equipment—vehicles that were obviously in disrepair, and from appearances, unsafe. TAKE YOUR PiCK Looking for one of those great new, grand new cars? Look here ... for the finan- cing you need to put you in the driver's seat of the car. you want. A Credit Union Auto Loan gives you the ad- vantage of fast action, low rates, convenient repayment. Come in, talk it over, soon. For Auto Loans at Low interest Rates, See Us ... and Count on Us for .All Financing Needs ... Quick and Easy CLINTON COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION LIMITED 412-3467 70 ONTARIO STREET 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 he 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 Ids car checked periodically by competent mechanics-. 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, 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 Bur- eau -- or take the chance of losing some of their Federal highway construction funds. In some Canadian Provinces (like the law that was passed in Ontario effective November, 1968) motor vehicles must be inspected and certified safe before the vehicle title can be transferred to another owner. TTnac that sound lika black- mail? Consider the benefits. Under PMVI, accidents and, more important, fatalities are reduced. A study by a New York con- sulting firm in 1967, found that in areas without an inspec- tion plan the fatality rate was nearly 10% higher than .in areas with a vehicle inspec- tion program. That is mighty strong evidence in favor of PMVI. And with new legislation to encourage safety inspection programs together with a more aware and increasingly con- cerned motoring public, the wheels are in motion to help make our highways safer from automobile mishaps due to mechanical failures. a SPRING TIRE SPECIAL fromBP IL DUNLOP � DALL—NEW GOLD CUP HERE ARE OUR AMAZING PRICES ALSO AVAILABLE IN WHITEWALLS SIZE ELACKWALL SIZE SUGGESTED OUR SALE 775-14 PRICE PRICE 775-14 31.70 17.23 775-15 , 31.70 .17.23 825-14 38.00 17.23 ALSO AVAILABLE IN WHITEWALLS SIZE WHITEWALL SIZE SUGGESTED LIST PRICE OUR SALE PRICE 775-14 35.70 .18.23 775-15 35.70 18.23 825.14 40.53 18.23 ALSO AVAILABLE IN WHITEWALLS SIZE WHITEWALL ST PRICE R WHITEWALLTE SALE PRICE 650-13 32.53 15.95 815-15 40.53 18.23 855.14 43.07 20.95 For Exempla: Buy 2 (told Cup Tires take 6 months to Day Buy Y Gold Cup tires -- take 12 months to pay X17.23 We Are Loaded With USED TIRES - ALL SIZES Special Prices — Free Installation We Have PARTS FOR LATE MODEL CARS & TRUCKS e . . REBUILT AND USED INSTALLATION SERVICE BY LICENSED MECHANIC WANTED!! Cars, Trucks and Tractors For Wrecking 24 HOUR TOWING SERVICE sp AUTOCLEREWR MUM HWY. $ HOLMESVIi.LE TEL.: 482-3211