This story was originally produced by The Keene Sentinel. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.
A man who once supervised New Hampshire’s motor vehicle inspection program is now supporting legislation to end that program. car safety inspection
Brian Chase, a retired New Hampshire State Police sergeant and former assistant to the state director of motor vehicles, submitted written testimony for House Bill 649, which would end the requirement that motorists bring their cars to mechanics for yearly safety exams.
“During my tenure overseeing inspection stations for the State of New Hampshire, I was involved with undercover ‘sting’ operations of inspection stations for the New Hampshire Office of the Attorney General due to the vast number of consumer protection complaints,” he said.
“Moreover, as supervisor of the New Hampshire Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Program, I determined that the majority of New Hampshire Inspection Stations either 1) Collected revenue for inspections without conducting a proper safety inspection; or 2) Purposely rejected vehicles by exaggerating the inspection regulations to profit hugely from repair income.”
Chase now runs a consultancy business that reconstructs motor vehicle accidents.
“Motor vehicle safety inspection programs have no effect on highway safety and serve solely as a profit means to inspection stations/auto dealers who demand repairs that are unnecessary,” he said.
The House Transportation Committee deadlocked, 8-8, Tuesday on whether to recommend the full House pass HB 649.
Proponents say inspections protect motorists by requiring that things like tires, brakes and lights are in proper order. Any dashboard warnings, such as a check engine light or an indication of a problem with the emissions system, have to be cleared before a vehicle can pass.
You Asked, We Answered: Why does New Hampshire still require annual car inspections?
New Hampshire Sen. Donovan Fenton, whose family owns car dealerships in Keene and Swanzey, said inspections are integral to safe motoring.
“The average consumer doesn’t know when their tires are bald, or what that squealing noise means when their brakes are making a sound,” Fenton, a Democrat from Keene, said Wednesday.
“I do think the state inspection program has its merits, especially in New England. Look at the weather. We have frost heaves, we have ice, we have freezing temperatures to high temperatures – it does a lot of damage to your vehicle.”
Most states do not require annual safety inspections, but they are mandated in much of New England, including Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont.
Fenton said his family’s dealerships charge $39 for an inspection.
Daniel Goodman, a spokesman for AAA Northern New England, said in an interview Wednesday that his organization supports the present system.
“Regular vehicle inspections enhance road safety by detecting any mechanical issues in vehicles before they lead to crashes,” he said. “The inspections ensure all drivers, cyclists and pedestrians are protected.”
Opponents point out that vehicle defects seldom cause crashes.
A 2015 U.S. Government Accountability Office report said data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that vehicle component failure is a factor in about 2 to 7% of traffic crashes.
Rep. Charlie St. Clair, a Democrat from Laconia, said states that have ended their inspection programs haven’t seen an uptick of problems.
“There’s no mass of wrecks or deficiencies,” he said.
St. Clair also said that when motorists bring their vehicles to a shop for routine maintenance, such as an oil change, mechanics tend to do basic safety inspections at that time.
“You go to Jiffy, they throw the car up on the rack and they’re looking at everything,” he said.
The full House will eventually schedule a vote on HB 649. If it passes there, the Senate would consider it. Similar legislation has failed multiple times in recent years.
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