PERIODIC MOTOR VEHICLE INSPECTION: IN NORTH CAROLINA: A FOLLOW-UP STUDY

THE PRIMARY PURPOSE IS TO EXAMINE THE TRENDS COVERING THE FIVE-YEAR PERIOD OF THE PROGRAM AND TO PRESENT A FOLLOW-UP TO A PREVIOUS HIGHWAY SAFETY RESEARCH CENTER (HSRC) REPORT THAT PRESENTED STATISTICS FOR THE INITIAL YEAR OF THE PROGRAM RELATIVE TO FAILURE RATES AND REPAIR CHARGES, AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO VEHICLE AGE, MILEAGE AND PRESUMED DRIVING ENVIRONMENT. DIFFERENCES ALSO FOR SELECTED INSPECTION ITEMS IN VARIOUS CAR MODELS ARE EXAMINED WITH RESPECT TO FAILURE RATES. INSPECTION RECEIPTS OF A SPECIAL SAMPLE OF 76,668 PRIVATELY-OWNED PASSENGER CARS INSPECTED IN DECEMBER 1968 WERE COLLECTED TO PROVIDE STATISTICS FOR COMPARISON WITH THOSE IN THE 1966 SAMPLE. NOT ONLY HAS THE OVERALL FAILURE RATE DECREASED FROM 70.1% IN THE 1966 SAMPLE TO 33.8% IN THE 1968 SAMPLE, BUT THE AVERAGE REPAIR CHARGE (PER VEHICLE WITH REPAIR CHARGE ASSESSED) IS GENERALLY LOWER THIS SAMPLE THAN FOR THE PREVIOUS SAMPLE. AS IN THE PREVIOUS STUDY, URBAN CARS ACCUMULATED LESS MILEAGE AND, IN GENERAL, WERE NEWER THAN RURAL CARS. MOREOVER, THE AVERAGE REPAIR CHARGE IS STILL APPROXIMATELY 25 CENTS LOWER FOR RURAL CARS THAN URBAN CARS. IN CONTRAST TO THE 1966 RESULTS, HOWEVER, A DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND BETWEEN RURAL AND URBAN OVERALL FAILURE PERCENTAGES WITH THE OVERALL URBAN PERCENTAGES BEING SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER THAN THE OVERALL RURAL FAILURE PERCENTAGES. IN ADDITION, THE URBAN FAILURE RATES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER THAN THE RURAL RATES FOR HEADLIGHTS, STEERING MECHANISM, AND FOOT BRAKE. A QUESTIONNAIRE WAS SENT TO OWNERS OF A NUMBER OF AUTOMOBILES SPOTTED ON THE HIGHWAYS THROUGHOUT NORTH CAROLINA. RESULTS REVEAL THAT (1) 70% OF THE 459 RESPONDENTS CONSIDERED THE STAT'S MOTOR VEHICLE INSPECTION PROGRAM EITHER OF CONSIDERABLE OR AT LEAST OF SOME VALUE, AND (2) 60% FELT MORE CONFIDENT IN THE SAFETY OF THEIR CAR AFTER INSPECTION, WITH FEMALES EXPRESSING SIGNIFICANTLY MORE CONFIDENCE THAN MALES. /SRIS/

• Corporate Authors:

  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

  Highway Safety Research Center
  Chapel Hill, NC  United States  27599
• Authors:
  • Reinfurt, D W
  • HOUSE, E G
  • LEVINE, D N
• Publication Date: 1971-11

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 57 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age; Inspection; Motor vehicles; Questionnaires; Repairing; Rural areas; Statistics; Trend (Statistics); Urban areas; Vehicle safety
• Uncontrolled Terms: Mileage; Repairs
• Old TRIS Terms: Automobile makes; Vehicular safety
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00221863
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 21 1973 12:00AM