http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/5674625/

Quote :

"RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina lawmakers may repeal the state's required annual motor vehicle safety inspections. The Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday debated a measure its sponsor said would save owners more than $12 a year on each vehicle. Sen. Charlie Albertson of Duplin County said residents spend more than $80 million a year for inspections of tires, brakes, lights and other safety equipment. Albertson said a report by the Legislature's Program Evaluation Division found no proof inspections improve road safety, and no increase in accidents after South Carolina and Nebraska repealed their inspection laws. Representatives of the state Highway Patrol, Division of Motor Vehicles, AAA Carolinas, and repair-shop owners opposed ending the inspections."

With the exception of emissions testing, I fully think this is pointless anymore. If something is serious to fail it, most people will notice it otherwise. And half the time, if its something the computer detects, ppl ignore it anyway. And this doesnt check a lot of serious issues anyway that could bring on major failure.

On emissions, we are all gonna be driving electric cars soon enough

7/28/2009 5:41:29 PM

Quote :

"Representatives of the state Highway Patrol, Division of Motor Vehicles, AAA Carolinas, and repair-shop owners opposed ending the inspections.""

haha, no shit. An excuse to pull people over for the HP and a steady source of easy money for the repair shops, no wonder they oppose it

7/28/2009 5:47:02 PM

plz to pass this in the next 30 days

7/28/2009 5:49:24 PM

^^ HP should love this. It means they can pull ppl over for broke lights, and other stuff thats on the books that this is "suppose" to enforce but doesnt.

7/28/2009 6:00:17 PM

i dunno, i like the idea of inspections, but i'm not a fan of the cost for a real in-depth one; i.e. england/japan.

[Edited on July 28, 2009 at 6:08 PM. Reason : d]

7/28/2009 6:06:53 PM

I dunno, it kind of pisses me off when I see someone on the road at night with no functioning tail lights (read: both are out). Yeah you can see the headlights if you're oncoming or if you are in light traffic travelling with them, but if you're traveling behind them a ways and they hit the brakes for any reason you're fucked if you can't get to evasive maneuvering in time.

Quote :

"would save owners more than $12 a year on each vehicle."

If a car owner is sweating to save $12 after insurance, taxes, gas, maintenance, etc. then they've got other issues.

7/28/2009 6:09:24 PM

yeah, i mean, maybe the inspections aren't completely necessary, or maybe they could go to every 2 years or something, but trying to justify this move by claiming people could save "$12 a year" is incredibly lame....

7/28/2009 6:44:04 PM

^, ^^ what they said


Plus, what is this bullshit. They're pretending to care by saving us $12 a year?!??! They're going to raise a ton of taxes this year to make up that difference many times over.

And it doesn't say anything about changing safety requirements. They probably figured out they could make more money from tickets if they didn't have inspections to let people find out they have ticketable issues

[Edited on July 28, 2009 at 6:46 PM. Reason : .]

7/28/2009 6:44:44 PM

^^^they'll still be able to write tickets for shit like that

[Edited on July 28, 2009 at 6:45 PM. Reason : fe]

7/28/2009 6:45:34 PM

Since when is an inspection $12? I thought they were $30 now.

7/28/2009 7:14:30 PM

Its not just saving us $12. The state will save money as well. No need to keep record/print inspections/inspect inspection stations, etc.

7/28/2009 7:16:42 PM

the safety part is $12. the rest is for emissions. if you have a pre-1997 vehicle, it's still $12.50 iirc

7/28/2009 7:16:54 PM

Isn't it pre-1995?

[Edited on July 28, 2009 at 7:24 PM. Reason : Actually, it is <= 1995]

7/28/2009 7:24:13 PM

^^$13.60 for safety only inspection, I'm pretty sure, as I just had mine done last month

[Edited on July 28, 2009 at 9:11 PM. Reason : ^year doesn't neccesarily matter; county of registration does]

7/28/2009 9:10:18 PM

pretty sure he is referring to the fact that in 95 all cars had OBD-II computers and thus monitored themselves for emissions.

7/28/2009 9:22:45 PM

I wonder if they are doing this because of all the trouble they are having with the transition from stickers to no stickers/recorded on registration. Even the cops I talk to say they don't really know whats going on with that.

7/28/2009 9:45:08 PM

OBDII appeared for the '96 model year. Anything before that is emissions exempt.

7/28/2009 9:50:07 PM

^

7/28/2009 11:16:52 PM

so, OBDII cars still have to do emissions inspection?

7/28/2009 11:29:00 PM

Quote :

"Representatives of the state Highway Patrol, Division of Motor Vehicles, AAA Carolinas, and repair-shop owners opposed ending the inspections.""

haha, no shit. An excuse to pull people over for the HP and a steady source of easy money for the repair shops, no wonder they oppose it

7/29/2009 12:41:09 AM

Quote :

"so, OBDII cars still have to do emissions inspection?"

this thread has nothing to do with emissions inspections.

[Edited on July 29, 2009 at 1:36 AM. Reason : it just means that inspections will be $12 cheaper.]

[Edited on July 29, 2009 at 1:37 AM. Reason : i think]

7/29/2009 1:36:33 AM

sorry y'all, i hit 7 instead of 6

7/29/2009 7:31:39 AM

Quote :

"And half the time, if its something the computer detects, ppl ignore it anyway. And this doesnt check a lot of serious issues anyway that could bring on major failure."

A check engine light doesn't mean anything is wrong with your car from a safety point of view

Personally I think this is a horrible idea. I don't like the thought of being on I-40 going 70mph next to some shitbox with bald tires and worn out brakes. There are too many people out there that don't give a damn and will just keep driving regardless of the condition of the car. $12 a year ain't shit. If you have a problem with that you shouldn't own a car.

This will result in more citations by cops, and depending on accidents caused by mechanical failure...lawsuits.

[Edited on July 29, 2009 at 7:32 AM. Reason : k]

7/29/2009 7:31:56 AM

Quote :

"With the exception of emissions testing, I fully think this is pointless anymore. If something is serious to fail it, most people will notice it otherwise."

Also Officer Hardass will be sure to let you know if your turn signal, tail light, or even tag light are out with a friendly citation/warning/verbal

http://brentroad.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=571760

Speaking of saving drivers some money; I have never understood the point of car registration. At least the inspection ensures you are blowing nasty smoke down the highway. Why the fuck do we need to pay to register our car beyond just the normal "I'm Government and you will pay this charge" extortion bullshit.

7/29/2009 7:41:36 AM

Quote :

"Personally I think this is a horrible idea. I don't like the thought of being on I-40 going 70mph next to some shitbox with bald tires and worn out brakes. There are too many people out there that don't give a damn and will just keep driving regardless of the condition of the car. $12 a year ain't shit. If you have a problem with that you shouldn't own a car."

exactly...of all things, i think this SHOULD be kept...if the $12 is a hardship, you shouldn't own a car

[Edited on July 29, 2009 at 8:40 AM. Reason : nm]

7/29/2009 8:40:33 AM

Quote :

"Speaking of saving drivers some money; I have never understood the point of car registration. At least the inspection ensures you are blowing nasty smoke down the highway. Why the fuck do we need to pay to register our car beyond just the normal "I'm Government and you will pay this charge" extortion bullshit."

It's like a use tax. Goes to pay for shit like roads for you to drive your car on.

7/29/2009 9:16:22 AM

it's $30something

7/29/2009 9:35:55 AM

Quote :

"yeah, i mean, maybe the inspections aren't completely necessary, or maybe they could go to every 2 years or something, but trying to justify this move by claiming people could save "$12 a year" is incredibly lame...."

Honestly, I wouldn't mind if they did simple inspections every 6 months (just basic inspections, lights, mirrors, tires, etc). I'm tired of mother fuckers driving on the roads with bald tires, broken/blown lights, no mirrors (except vintage), etc... I'm not usually for the government controling people with laws and regulations, however, this wouldn't bother me. There are too many people who drive around in their cars without properly maintaining it.

Example: The other day, this guy had both his brake lights were out, and only 1 bulb out of two or three in his third brake light was working. I pulled up next to him and told him his situation, and he said, "I know..." WTF?! Then fix it dude! I see blown lights and bald tires on a DAILY basis.

It's only ~$12 an inspection if your car is older than 10 years. And if you can't afford the ~$30 because your vehicle is less than 10 years old, then you've got financial issues and need to reconsider the fact that you are living outside your means. Like previous posts mentioned, if you can't afford that, then you aren't responsible enough to even bother owning/operating a vehicle. Hell, they could make those that fail pay a fine or something if revenue is an issue and as encouragement for owners to properly maintain some safety issues. Doing away with inspections would only make the roads more unsafe imo


[Edited on July 29, 2009 at 10:10 AM. Reason : .]

7/29/2009 10:06:14 AM

Quote :

""Personally I think this is a horrible idea. I don't like the thought of being on I-40 going 70mph next to some shitbox with bald tires and worn out brakes. There are too many people out there that don't give a damn and will just keep driving regardless of the condition of the car. $12 a year ain't shit. If you have a problem with that you shouldn't own a car.""

To quote myself, I forgot to say that I think the current "safety" inspection is a joke. They have no way to check the condition of your brake or steering systems.

LOL, nigga plz.

7/29/2009 10:18:33 AM

FL has no inspections. I maintain my FL residency to get out of state income taxes and keep the ability to register a car there if need be. I usually register in NC, though, because it's typically cheaper.

7/29/2009 10:20:21 AM

Quote :

" They have no way to check the condition of your brake or steering systems. "

This is true... Maybe they should do a more extensive look (look at pad/shoe wear), check tie rods and insure no PS fluid is leaking.

Ah fuck it all, this is getting too technical, and what I'd want wouldn't come true...


What I want is for all the lazy bums and morons in the world to just die from natural brain failure right now. Like seriously. DARWIN WHERE ARE YOU?

7/29/2009 10:28:49 AM

Quote :

"They have no way to check the condition of your brake or steering systems. "

They drove it to the garage and didn't get in a wreck, right?

7/29/2009 10:45:42 AM

Quote :

"a report by the Legislature's Program Evaluation Division found no proof inspections improve road safety, and no increase in accidents after South Carolina and Nebraska repealed their inspection laws"

I say we should do it -- we should end vehicle safety inspections...
If two other states haven't had any problems with it, why not give it a shot?

Quote :

"Speaking of saving drivers some money; I have never understood the point of car registration. At least the inspection ensures you are blowing nasty smoke down the highway. Why the fuck do we need to pay to register our car beyond just the normal "I'm Government and you will pay this charge" extortion bullshit."

Quote :

"It's like a use tax. Goes to pay for shit like roads for you to drive your car on."

Couldn't that just be collected when you get your license renewed?...or plates?...or in the mail?
And how about the sticker you put on your plate?

[Edited on July 29, 2009 at 11:07 AM. Reason : ]

7/29/2009 11:07:02 AM

Quote :

"Couldn't that just be collected when you get your license renewed?...or plates?...or in the mail? And how about the sticker you put on your plate? "

It is. You pay em according to your vehicle weight and whatnot and then they mail you the sticker you put on your plates.

7/29/2009 11:16:40 AM

^^North Carolina has a population over 3 million more people than South Carolina and Nebraska combined. I'd imagine that would affect "road safety".

Personally I'm all for more extensive safety inspections and license requirements, then maybe we can do away with these ridiculously low interstate speed limits (in mainly rural areas).

7/29/2009 11:21:53 AM

^We're also 2nd behind Texas in state maintained lane-miles of roadway.

[Edited on July 29, 2009 at 11:39 AM. Reason : []

7/29/2009 11:38:54 AM

Quote :

"They have no way to check the condition of your brake or steering systems."

I'm pretty sure they check for excessive play in the steering wheel which would pick up most problems. And you damn sure know if your brakes aren't working they aren't going to pass it...I mean really.

I'd like for it to be a safety inspection and leave things like tint out of it. I might even be willing to see them drop emissions. While I disagree with allowing excessive pollution it is a flawed system when a Civic with a bad 02 sensor fails and a 1985 Chevy on 40" tires that is running rich and has worn rings can pass.

7/29/2009 11:40:29 AM

Quote :

"I'm tired of mother fuckers driving on the roads with bald tires, broken/blown lights, no mirrors (except vintage), etc... I'm not usually for the government controling people with laws and regulations, however, this wouldn't bother me. There are too many people who drive around in their cars without properly maintaining it. "

true that

the other down in wilmington some Mitsubishi galant was blowing down the road with white smoke coming out the back clouding the roadway. I can't believe people drive around with shit like this for weeks figuring its "no big deal"
then balk when a $500 repair job turns to a $2000 repair job.

7/29/2009 12:15:03 PM

the thing is you can be marginally passing your inspection and then well beyond what is acceptable before your next inspection. in this respect having the inspection doesn't guarantee that the car you're driving beside isn't about to have tires explode or crash into you with faulty breaks.

7/29/2009 3:44:21 PM

Of course it isn't a perfect system. For all the bitching in this thread about cars that shouldn't be on the road I can only imagine what it would be like if they got rid of inspections.

7/29/2009 4:00:57 PM

Quote :

"With the exception of emissions testing, I fully think this is pointless anymore. If something is serious to fail it, most people will notice it otherwise."

Quote :

"They have no way to check the condition of your brake or steering systems."

I took my old '94 Camry in for inspection and my rack & pinion was pretty much shot. I had no idea or indication that anything was wrong before that, so it helped me out.

[Edited on July 29, 2009 at 7:19 PM. Reason : .]

7/29/2009 7:17:45 PM

My girlfriend and her unfixable Daewoo are REALLY hoping this shit happens.

7/29/2009 9:14:08 PM

Don't knock saving $12 dollars. When you can save $12 dollars here, $50 dollars by grocery store brand stuff you don't really care about, $xx on this and $x on that it can end up saving you a few hundred dollars or so a year. That's money that can go a long way towards improved leisure time

7/30/2009 2:00:19 PM

Quote :

"Albertson said a report by the Legislature's Program Evaluation Division found no proof inspections improve road safety, and no increase in accidents after South Carolina and Nebraska repealed their inspection laws."

End it.

7/30/2009 2:01:59 PM

when I worked out near garner- I had to take the company trucks/vans for their yearly inspection, and one of them failed because there was condensation in the headlamp cover. That was just dumb...

I thoroughly enjoy that SC doesn't have them (bc I'm inherently lazy), but there are more cars on the roads around here that would appear to fail spectacularly should they have to be inspected.

7/31/2009 4:44:57 PM

You guys really think you'd see a huge influx of cars on the roads with no lights, huge plumes of smoke coming out of their exhaust pipe constantly, etc?

Newsflash: Theres already a shit ton of people who drive around with vehicles that don't pass inspection or have an expired sticker

The $12 is who cares...but when you're responsible for a fleet of vehicles, this would be great as far as saving time

If I get pulled in a vehicle with an expired inspection I tell them its been in South Carolina

7/31/2009 5:00:56 PM

Quote :

"Don't knock saving $12 dollars. When you can save $12 dollars here, $50 dollars by grocery store brand stuff you don't really care about, $xx on this and $x on that it can end up saving you a few hundred dollars or so a year. That's money that can go a long way towards improved leisure time"

Are you ever not high? I am concerned (not really) at your inability to put together a simple argument.

7/31/2009 5:43:26 PM

If it were not for inspections most people would never buy tires. People are THAT lazy. I'll pay the money to have both my cars inspected just to avoid being in the lane next to the highway blowout moron.

7/31/2009 5:49:07 PM