This day in Mohawk Valley history: March 6, 1930

March 6 Car turns turtle injuring three, 1922.

Will Ban 35,000 Unfit Cars From State Roads

Plan for Traffic Safety Will Cost $1,300,000 In New York

Thirty-five thousand unfit automobiles will be removed from the highways in New York State during the coming year as part of a national Highway Safety Plan undertaken by various companies in the automobile industry, as announced by the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce. The program will involved the expenditure of approximately $1,300,000 in the Empire State. Nationally, the motor companies plan to scrap 400,000 old automobiles in 1930, at a cost of $15,000,000.

The program is characterized as “perhaps the greatest single safety move in industry history,” by Alvan Macauley, president of the Automobile Chamber, and former chairman of its Street Traffic Committee.

“This widespread experiment will strike right at the hearts of the unsafe vehicle problem by eliminating a huge block of those cars which are in the poorest condition,” says Mr. Macauley.

“The rattle-trap car is only one factor in the accident difficulty. Unsafe, incompetent, and reckless drivers, as well as reckless pedestrians, cause a large proportion of the accidents. Blind curves and other highway defects are also to blame. the industry hopes, however, that this drive for extermination of unsafe cars will set a standard of action which will be helpful to the entire situation.”

One of the hazards of the highway situation has been the rattle-trap car which keeps re-appearing on the road after it has presumably been sent to the discard. The aim of this program is to guarantee the actual scrapping of the vehicle. The plan will be worked out by each company participating, in line with its general sales policies and the volumen of its production.

Source: NYSHistoricnewspapers.org