THOSE COMPULSORY VEHICLE TESTS

THOSE COMPULSORY VEHICLE TESTS

Regarding the compulsory examination of pre-1947 vintage ears : road-casualty figures for 1955 totalled 267.922 killed and injured, Of which 7.1117, or rather less than 2.7 per cent., were attributable to vehicle defects. Casualties caused by defects in cars .10 or more years old are not given, but may be presumed to be ‘even smaller. If 1 may. therefore. imote from the Daily Telegraph of August 27th, these figures ” hardly support the argument for vehicle tests soon to become law.” Some little While ago T melted a aturiewhat elderly sportscar and a family saloon of almost equal age, giving between them over 80,000 miles of incident-free motoring. I have no doubt that the steering en both vehicles and the brakes on the sports car would foil to pass the types of tests envisaged. not because they were faulty in nny way

but merely due to the fact that the design would not measure up to present-day _components as regards efficiency. It may be then that such regulation’s could in the end inereafte casualties rather than decrease them, since the young-driver may he forced Off the road until later in life, when he will re-appear as the middle-aged, incompetent, inexperienced nitwit so typical of the Brighten road on any weekend at the moment. Efficiency at anything eau only be achieved by practice, and if practice is denied then efficiency is impossible.

Surely then our Government would be better employed in investigating the country’s rood system and instituting proper courses of road-safetrin our schools, rather than setting in motion a ponderous machine which can only reduce the figures by at best one or two per cent. ? Accidents willalways happen, since little can be done ahem the human stupidity factor, but there must be more intelligent approaches to the problem than poking about under little Willy’s 1928 Austin Seven.

My best wishes and appreciations for the only motoring magazine in the country worth reading. 1 am, Yours, -etc.,

j. ACTON, MSc., A.R.I.C. London, W.14. •