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It makes sure that other drivers aren't put in danger by operators driving unsafe vehicles. Worn out brakes? Bald tires? Burnt out bulbs? Faulty exhaust?( more of a danger to the owner) Rusting pile of junk? These problems will cause a car to fail to pass inspection and subject the owner to pay hefty fines if stopped by the police. Not to mention that you have to show proof of insurance and a valid license which also lessens the risk for other drivers. I think all states should have yearly inspections and those states that don't are in the dark ages and inviting trouble.
I drove a beater for work a short distance daily and it was a rusting pile of junk. But it was a safe rusting pile of junk. It finally didn't pass when I was told the frame had rotted away underneath. They also made me replace the drivers seat at one point when they saw it had broken loose from the frame. That was a problem with the design of the car and people had been killed from the seats breaking loose in a crash.
Also, isn't it easier to spot a possibly stolen vehicle if it has to be inspected? In Pa they steal the registration stickers( no longer used although I suspect that will change shortly) so that's one way to get around it but those inspection stickers are harder to falsify.
It makes sure that other drivers aren't put in danger by operators driving unsafe vehicles. Worn out brakes? Bald tires? Burnt out bulbs? Faulty exhaust?( more of a danger to the owner) Rusting pile of junk? These problems will cause a car to fail to pass inspection and subject the owner to pay hefty fines if stopped by the police.
It can also help to prove that an "accident" like that fatal limousine incident mentioned earlier in this thread was in fact no accident at all, but willful criminal negligence. Knowingly driving a vehicle that has failed a safety inspection shows the owner knew the vehicle was unsafe, but put it on the public roads anyway. That limousine company owner committed manslaughter, and that failed NY state inspection report is the proof which will see him jailed for his actions.
Conversely, a driver whose vehicle has passed a safety inspection and who can show he's having the car serviced regularly will more likely to be believed when he claims that a wreck resulting from some freak event like a brake failure or a wheel falling off wasn't a result of negligence on his part, but was indeed a true accident.
We wouldn't need state-mandated safety inspections if every car owner was both knowledgeable about needed maintenance and socially responsible. Unfortunately, that isn't the case.
Think of the worst piece of junk you've ever seen, and imagine that the frame is ready to split in two, the brake lines are rotted out, the tires completely bald, and the wheel bearings are all ready to fall off. Inspection laws are there to prevent vehicles like that from being driven on the public roads. As long as you keep your car in good condition, the annual inspection will not be an issue. The people who have problems with it are the people who let things go without getting them fixed.
You think it's BS? Ask the survivors of the Schoharie County limousine crash in upstate NY if they feel it's BS. That car should never have been on the road, because it had FAILED inspection twice; problem was, the guy running the company was too damn lazy and money-hungry to fix the problems. Smart owners fix the problems in time for their vehicle to pass.
So the state inspection failed to get a bad car off the road.
In my state, smog checks are required, but only in the two major metropolitan counties. In rural counties, no smog check. There is no annual safety inspection.
Years ago, in Florida the inspection stations were run by the Highway Patrol, and inspections were fairly rigorous.
It makes sure that other drivers aren't put in danger by operators driving unsafe vehicles. Worn out brakes? Bald tires? Burnt out bulbs? Faulty exhaust?( more of a danger to the owner) Rusting pile of junk? These problems will cause a car to fail to pass inspection and subject the owner to pay hefty fines if stopped by the police.
Probably at least a quarter of the cars on the streets in my city would fail the MOT inspection that all cars must pass in the UK.
I moved to a state that requires annual inspections. Previously lived in states that did not. What is the reason for this? Sounds like total BS gov't corruption to me. Why can some states get by fine without it and some have it?
It sounds like maybe lobbyists for auto mechanics or parts manufacturers possibly fund the politicians in states that haven't got rid of annual vehicle inspections yet? I'm sure someone makes a lot of money from the repairs they require you to make to pass inspection.
Because there are a lot of people who drive around with cars that should be scrapped/on their last leg, bad brakes, no head/brake lights, CEL light on, missing mufflers and body parts , tires are Willpop brand broken windshields, no insurance, floating or no registration.
they are unsafe for everyone on the road.
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