Reply #6: Correct but are also a main source of Pollution

[happyslug]

The simple reason is these old beaters tend to be at the end of their Service life and barely kept running. If something breaks that does not affect the operation of the car it rarely is fixed. For example Radios and Air Conditioners (Some people do but most do not).

The owners of these cars do the same limited repairs to the pollution control systems. Given that most of the pollution control will stop to work after about about Five years, cars older than that ALWAYS PRODUCE MORE POLLUTION THAN NEWER CARS. Tailpipe testing shows this to be true but if you are a tester and a person you know comes to your garage with a car that fails such a test do you just fake the paperwork (For example run the test equipment up another's car tailpipe and pass the car).

Furthermore random tests are rarely done in poor neighborhoods for the cars will fail.

The reason for the above is the poor can NOT afford to do the repairs AND can not afford to lose their cars. The US is an automotive society and if you do not have a car it is hard in most of the US to hold a job or commute between your home and your job.

The solution would be massive testing even in poor neighborhoods taking the polluting cars out of circulation AND THAN PROVIDING MASS TRANSIT for the people who lost their cars AND demanding that businesses be in areas where such mass transit operates on a frequent basis at time the businesses are open.

You will find out that Rather than pay for such transit AND impose such restrictions on businesses most politicians will prefer the pollution to continue. This has been the problem for over 50 years. No one wants to help the poor get to their work and this it leaves it up to the poor to use the best way they can given their income restrictions.

Thus until you address both mass transit and business locations you will continue to have these old polluting cars on the street.