Evening star., 1945-01-07
Mechanical Failures
Called Major Threat
To Drivers This Year

Unless District residents give
more care to their automobiles and
use them only for essential pur-
poses, at least 1000 cars will have
to be stored or junked each month
for failure to meet minimum safety
inspection standards, TRAFFIC Direc-
tor William A. Van Duzer warned
yesterday.
At the same time an American
Automobile Association official de-
clared only a great maintenance
and conservation effort would pre-
vent a disastrous transportation
breakdown in 1945.
Mr.. Van Duzer based his state
ment on figures for the vehicular
inspection year ending April /. The
figures show $4,000 vehicles now
are registered locally, as against
187 900 for the inspection year end
ing April l, 1941, drop of $1,000
vehicles or slightly over 80 per cent.
Brakes, Tires Blamed.
These figures give a good idea
of what to expect. The drop of
$1,000 vehicles in about four years
was due mainly to the inability of
the motorist to secure replacement
parts which might not have been
necessary at all If he had taken
reasonable mechanical care of his
car and used it only when neces.
sary," Mr.. Van Duzer pointed out.
He said that, since the current
inspection year started, $4,000 cars
have been ordered of District
streets for failing to pass inspection
and that in the last three months
of the inspection year, another $500
probably would be rejected, for a
total of 15,600.
Mr.. Van Duzer explained that
most cars are being rejected be-
cause of bad brakes, faulty front
ends and steering assemblies, and
bad tires and lights, conditions diff
cult to correct, which rapidly get
worse II not corrected.
Fourth Of Cars Found Old.
The AAA findings pointing to a
possible transportation breakdown
were embodied in a report by H. j.
Brunnier, recently elected president
of the organization His warning
was based on a passenger car in
ventory made after three years of
war and covered the car as a unit
of transportation, tires, replacement
parts, repair facilities, mechanic
manpower and gasoline Mr.. Brun-
nier emphasized that since the
United States entered the war, rs
per cent of the country's local essen
tial transportation load has been
carried in passenger cars, and that
four out of five war workers have
used this means of getting to and
from their jobs.
According to his figures, Is per
cent of the 25,000,000 automobiles
remaining on the highways are II
years or older, and obsolescence will
force great numbers of them out of
use in coming months. I'VE may
quickly descend to, or 60 below the
&c, 900 900 level which has been esti-
mated as the rock bottom figure for
essential needs" Mr.. Brunnier said,
but in any event, We are currently
confronted with the gigantic task
of doing a l945 wartime transporta-
tion job with a 1929 registration of
cars"
In regard to maintenance facili-
ties, the report disclosed that when
the United States entered the war
there were over 81 900 Independent
automobile repair shops In the
country, but that now there are
only $1,000. Car dealer service es-
Establishments in the same period
decreased from 10000 to 81 900. AL
though there are now 1876, 1000 fewer
mechanics than before Pearl Har-
oor, the situation is improving
slightly, but 10 per cent of those
now in the field have less than
three years experience, the report
concluded.