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I remember reading a study showing that inspections do nothing to improve highway safety. It's just another revenue stream
Legitimate emissions testing on older cars should be a priority. Not only for highway safety, but more so for health reasons ! nothing worse than riding behind an old beater with no muffler and/or smoking and spewing disgusting fumes into my well kept vehicle and my lungs. geesh
I wish cars would give you indication when a tail light is blown. There is no way to know if your always in drivers seem and drive alone most of the time.
Many European makes have bulb failure warning, even my old '89. It doesn't tell you which bulb is out, but a with little uncommon sense it can be quickly diagnosed.
I feel a lot safer knowing that within the previous year most of the cars on NC hiways passed a safety inspection. Has anything been mentioned about an increase in auto insurance if the state does not have safety inspections? If I were in law enforcement, I would feel a lot better being able to see inside a vehicle I stopped or for that matter just being able to see in the car pulling up beside me. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
The Program Evaluation Division of the North Carolina Legislature said flatly, "The safety inspection program is not effective."
"Nearly three decades of research has failed to conclusively show that mechanical defects are a significant cause of motor vehicle accidents or that safety inspections significantly reduce accident rates," the report said.
Ironically, while Washington relied on those findings, the North Carolina legislature decided to leave that state’s program intact.
John Turcotte, director of the agency that conducted the study, said those who favored continuing the program provided anecdotal evidence of its effectiveness. Moreover, the North Carolina Highway Patrol was in favor of preserving the status quo. To Turcotte, long-held beliefs triumphed over facts in North Carolina.
Key points from the North Carolina report:
More than a dozen states repealed inspection programs after the federal government removed its leverage over the states by saying such programs were no longer needed to receive federal highway money.
The state of Nebraska found that the number of crashes caused by vehicle defects actually went down after the program was scrapped in 1982.
The North Carolina experience shows that the number of crashes attributable to mechanical condition equaled 1 percent of the state’s auto accidents.
The study carried some weight in Washington, where district officials say they relied on it, and the district’s own motor vehicles department, in making their decision to cancel inspections.
But since the 2009 elimination of the program, an influential City Council member, Jim Graham, has expressed concerns about the effects of the change on auto safety. Graham chairs the council’s public works and transportation committee.
I remember reading a study showing that inspections do nothing to improve highway safety. It's just another revenue stream
I have seen similar studies. If inspections made the driving environment safer, then i would support it. But that is not the conclusion reached by many states who have either abandoned or not instituted inspections.
In reality, inspections seem to generate revenue for those who do car repairs. I would think there is a strong lobby to continue inspections for this reason. That is nothing to do with safety.
How about NO scheduled inspections?
When vehicles change hands will be often enough.
The key is to then do an actual and thorough safety inspection:
• Steering system • Wheel alignment • Suspension • Brake system • Wheels / tires
• Fuel system • Exhaust system • Bumpers • Fenders
• Lights • Electrical system • Mirrors • Glazing (windows) • Wipers
• Hood / catches • Door handle latches • Floor / trunk pans
• Speedometer / odometer • Gear shift indicator • Driver seat • Safety belts
• Motor mounts • Universal and CV (constant velocity) joints
• Emissions equipment
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we need inspections
