For the last couple of years, (and it seems to be getting a lot worse), I see caravan after caravan of towed vehicles heading south down U.S. Hwy 59 to Mexico. My folks live about 80 miles north of Houston, and I have been going up there since the mid 70's, but especially over the last year have I noticed this "phenomenon".
These guys travel in caravans of 4-6 vehicles, each pulling another behind with a tow-bar. It would not be unusual to pass 12-20 such vehicles heading south in an hour's drive, and though I travel at night a lot, I do not know 1) how legal all of this is, or 2) is it going on 24/7 around the clock? Saw some last night with Missouri plates on the towed car, but most of the driven vehicles have no plates at all. I am sure these cars are all purchased at auction. I have seen the same happening on I-35 between Waco and Fort Worth, so I feel like it is probably happening nationwide.
Is this NAFTA related? Is it a bad thing? Does Mexico have anywhere near the emmissions requirements that even the most lax states here have? (And if they did, is there any chance in h*ll they would ever be enforceable?)
I know a lot of cars are sold at auction, and after natural disasters such as Katrina, Rita, Allison, etc. I know a lot of cars would be totaled and sold for salvage.
My concern is 1) Mexico has a huge and growing population, and 2) no matter what we do here in the way of emmissions testing and refinement of emmissions controlling devices on our new vehicles, if Mexico (and what other 3rd world, backwards, impoverished countries there are in the world) suddenly has an explosion of automobile-driving citizens over what it has had up to this point (and believe me - it is happening FAST), what chance do we have of ever being a custodian of greenhouse gases?
I can just see it all now - flood cars from the states which have all of the electrics washed out - power windows and locks inoperative (who cares down there? they are going to get broken in to and/or stolen anyway, right? Who needs carpeted floors in an automobile when the windows will not go up/down or remain broken out?), all of whatever pollution controlling devices removed, etc.
Is this a valid concern?
I do not mean to offend anyone by their race or nationality, but I am concerned about OUR world environment. It IS the only one we have.
(And it's not like we see caravan after caravan of used cars being towed into the U.S.A..) There has to be consequences.....
They come north across the border as new vehicles, and wind up south of the border again before they die. Ironic.
