Harvard Study Says Auto Failures May Cause Half of Traffic Fatalities

Two staff members of the Harvard Medical School have completed a year-long study which shows that mechanical defects in cars may cause as many as half the 50,000 traffic deaths each year.

Dr. Robert C. Buxbaum '52, research associate in Preventive Medicine, and Theodore Colton, associate in Preventive Medicine, reported their findings to a meeting of the American College of Physicians in New York last week.

Basing their research on a study of automobile inspection, they found that states with no required inspections had death rates of 33.2 per 100,000 population for whites, and 64.2 for nonwhites. When a yearly inspection was required, the rates fell to 25.1 and 37.9.

Figures on a miles-traveled basis are even more dramatic. For nonwhites between the ages of 45 and 55, inspection reduced rates from 57.8 to 17.1.

Buxbaum yesterday explained that non-whites death rates are much higher because Negroes in general drive older, used cars. Deaths in cars over eight years old, he continued, are twice as frequent as in new ones.

If a checkup every six months can out deaths in half, he stated, a nationwide system of manditory inspection "with teeth in it" could lower the rate even further.

Built-in Hazards

Buxbaum also criticized built-in hazards in modern cars. "What's lacking in automotive industry is a sense of responsibility for the public," he said yesterday. While a large-scale Congressional investigation is now forcing auto companies to remedy the most serious flaws, he added, the manufacturers could have started safety studies 20 years ago.

A two-pronged attack on the problem is needed. Buxbaum stated, to cut deaths from accidents and to keep accidents from happening.

First, Federal specifications on automobile design should be stiffened to include a tougher frame, over-the-shoulder seat belts, collapsing steering wheels, and dual brakes.

Second, there should be an independent commission to investigate accidents. Although it would be impractical to study every case. Buxbaum said, a statistically accurate sample would be sufficient to determine the major defects. The board, he detailed, would have the power to impound crashed cars and conduct, a thorough "autopsy" to find the part that failed.