The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1955-04-16
Boy State Motorists Suffer
Million Breokdowns In 1854

plagued with nearly IS mil
lion car breakdownS last year.
an average of almost one to
a car, the American Automo-
bile Association estimated to-
day in its annual tally of flat
tires, weary batteries, absent
minded drivers, and q host Of
other ailments that made pri-
yate passenger automobiles
temporarily immobile
Across the nation the figure
for car breakdownS in 1854
was nearly 46 million.
Tire trouble again led the
list Of car ailments last year,
to the tune Of eleven million
six hundred and thirteen
thousand G1,613,000) for the
country as whole and three
hundreU twenty-five thousand
tye hundred and eighty-two
tS22,582) for Massachusetts,.
The AAA bases its estimates
on reports from seventeen
thousand five hundred (l7,5Oo)
garages under contract with
affiliated AAA clubs to supply
emergency road service to its
as million members. The
figures are then projected to
take into account total pas
senger car registraaon, which
was estimated at forty-elght
million eighty-seven thousand
4S.O87 ,00O) throughout the Uni
ted States in 1854.
Massachusetts, figures are a
similar projection Of the Mas
sachusetts division, American
Automobile Association mem
bership and road service to-
tails for last year, and gem
orally tend to follow the ma
tional percentages, according
to Stanley Gubala, AAA's Mas
: Sachusetts Division Road Ser
: vice manager. In 1854 there
: were one million two hundred
ninety-one thousand three
= hundred and twenty-nine
= Q,291, 1920 passenger cars, OF
: an increase OF AZ per cent
h from 1858, registered in tbs
Bay State as recorded by Re.
gistrar Of Motor Vehicles Ru
,f dolph F. King,
: Running a close second II
= tire trouble, which showed
- 2l.95 per cent rise, were call
- for battery and electrical diff
. f1culties. These totaled thre
hundred nine thousand mir
hudred and eighteen {309,91S
- fer the Commonwealth an
= eleven million three hundre
and five thousand (11,305, 00l
for the United States, an il
crease Of 22.sS per cent o1
Ike 1858.
1lli Absent-minded motorists
As- like the one who goes on
Is trip with the car keys in h
zee pocket were almost, but n,
~ quite so forgetful in 1854. II
Ns AAA reports seven hundre
~ and seventeen thousand (717
= O00) calls for its emergenc
a lock and key service as com
~ ~ pared with eight hundred an
- three thousand 1908 ,OOO) tn
- year before. Massachusetts
- drivers made an estimatel
~ nineteen thousand three hun
- dred and sixty-nin (19.369
= calls for lock and key aid.
= On the other hand, motor.
!. lists who forgot to fill theij
tanks or decided to run 'JusI
a few more miles" when The
\ needle pointed to empty, took
, a real beating. Calls for ga,
increased 53.77 per cent las.
t year over 1858, claiming some
4 forty-nine thousand seventy
i (49,070) in the Bay State and
r one million seven hundred fiji
4 ty-six d,756,OoO across the
D country.
: Although there were more
S calls for help from motorists
! in 1854 than in the previous
: year, their troubles were az
: parently not quite so serious.
the AAA report notes with
pleasure, with a decrease of
1914 per cent in requests for
Wrecker service