Fir s t Vehicle Test Station Opened .
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LAST Wednesday the Ministry of Transport opened the first Government-operated vehicle-testing station in Britain, at Hendon,-Middx. The station, which was built at a cost of £12,000, is regarded as an experiment which should form a valuable contribution to road safety in the reduction of accidents because of vehicle defects.
The tests are free and cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles of up to 30 cwt. unladen weight can be tested. All vehicles are subject to an underchassis inspection, in which particular attention is paid to the steering and wheel alignment, and other tests include a complete check of the electrical system and a brake performance test on a roller-type machine.
It is stressed that the station is only intended for testing -purposes. No defects will be corrected there and no prosecution could follow a bad report— only advice that the defect should be dealt with promptly. Drivers passing through the station receive a punched card to show the state of their vehicle, together with a booklet entitled "Road Worthiness," which is intended to be used in conjunction with the card.
This station was built as a result of the experimental test centre which was opened at Slough for fainweeks during this summer. Results at Slough showed that 75–per cent. of the vehicles passing through had headlight defects, nearly 50 per cent, had faulty steering or frontwheel alignment, 40 per cent. had at least one poor tyre, and about 10 per cent, had unsatisfactory brakes.