Interpretation ID: nht93-4.15

DATE: June 2, 1993

FROM: Eddie Bernice Johnson -- Member of Congress, 30th District Texas, U.S. House of Representatives

TO: Art Neill -- Division Chief, Office of Vehicle Safety Standards, NHTSA

TITLE: None

ATTACHMT: Attached to letter dated 6-28-93 from John Womack to Eddie Bernice Johnson (A41; Part 571).

TEXT: Dr. Way recently contacted my office concerning the resale of military vehicles for civilian use. The enclosed letter from Dr. Way should more clearly state issue.

I would appreciate having the benefit of your review and consideration of Dr. Way's request so that I might better prepare a response. Please respond to my Dallas office at the District address above, where this case has been assigned to my staff assistant, Scott Rule.

Thank you for your attention in this matter.

April 29, 1993

Congressman Martin Frost 400 S. Zang Dallas, TX 75208

Dear Congressman:

As a concerned citizen of Dallas, Texas, I want to inform you of something I have been alerted to. I called to find out about the purchase of used military jeeps for possible use as a vehicle on my ranch. We would use this vehicle as an off-the-road vehicle and occasionally as a vehicle to travel back and forth to town. Upon contacting the Department of Defense at 800-222-3767, which is a recorded message describing the Department of Defense surplus sales, it states that the military jeep M-151 is a type of vehicle that for some reason the Department o+ Transportation has deemed unsafe to be used on public roads. Therefore, the military vehicles are not sold, but are destroyed by crushing. I called Carswell AFB and asked the surplus sales department there about sale of the jeeps. They gave me the same information, that they do not sell military Jeeps, and they are destroyed for safety reasons.

I find this very unusual, because if they are found to be unsafe on our roads, how can we consider these vehicles safe for use by military personnel? I was in the military and rode in these vehicles on and off the road, and they were very safe depending on who was driving.

I would like you to investigate this situation, because I feel this is another waste of materials by the government. These vehicles could be sold and used by civilians after they have completed their military use. I think this is a situation that needs to be rectified.

Sincerely yours,

Bill V. Way, D.O. Concerned Citizen