9 ms·

So, apparently there is no mandatory vehicle inspection in the US. Of course there isn't, it would violate the freedom to drive with an unroadworthy car.

krallja 5y ago
It depends on the state. Most of the ones that do exist are concerned with things like “do you have seat belts? are there rear view mirrors? do the turn signals work? is the check engine light on?” Classic/antique vehicles are also often exempt.
- technofiend 5y ago
  Imagine my surprise when this year my 1996 Toyota was suddenly an "antique" by state law. Yearly inspection for antique cars is a safety check as you described - does it have working windshield wipers, lights and seat belts, but no longer any emissions check.
- AdmiralAsshat 5y ago
  There's no way that car would pass an emissions test.
  - rascul 5y ago
    Not all states test emissions, either.
    - iamtheworstdev 5y ago
      and some only do it for certain counties (Virginia)
    - londons_explore 5y ago
      I imagine this means cars with bad emissions end up living in states with no tests...
      - protomyth 5y ago
        I'm not so sure on that. Some of the states that don't test are pretty damn inhospitable to cars and bad emissions is often the first sign of the end of the vehicle.
        londons_explore 5y ago
        But there has to be a pretty lucrative trade in buying 'scrap' (emissions failing, $50 for-the-steel) cars in some states, and shipping them over to non-testing states where they can be sold as 'kinda old but totally usable for a few more years, $3000'.
  - jorts 5y ago
    In CA "The California Smog Check Program requires vehicles that were manufactured in 1976 or later to participate in the biennial (every two years) smog check program in participating counties." so it would be exempt based on the year that it was manufactured.
    - mturmon 5y ago
      Yes. And the consequences of the pre-1976 smog exemption are all too clear to anyone driving behind an older car on the freeway. There's no snow where I live, so these beautiful old heaps can stay on the road far longer than is healthy.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - bell-cot 5y ago
    Unless the Official Emissions Test rules state that the tech performing the test has to start it, and that it can't be failed unless the emissions are too high when it's running...
throwaway0a5e 5y ago
When it comes to bad things that happen on the road mechanical condition is a rounding error compared to things people knew were risky and did anyway. I see no reason we should invest more than a token amount of societal effort chasing the long tail like that. The fact that you start your comment with "in the US" when anyone even slightly familiar with the place knows that pretty much everything about it is a state by state deal is a massive red flag for a comment that serves no purpose but to convert pearl clutching into internet virtue points. The fact that you end your comment with a back handed quip deriding some imagined notion of freedom more or less confirms it.
js2 5y ago
Yes there is, it varies by state. Author is in NC, same as me. There is a state-wide safety inspection but vehicles older than 30 years are exempt: https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/title-registration/emissions-safety/Pages/safety-inspections.aspx https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/title-registration/emissions-safet... There's also an emissions inspection that varies by county, but vehicles older than 20 years are exempt. https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/title-registration/emissions-safety/Pages/emissions-inspections.aspx https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/title-registration/emissions-safet... Does it make any sense to exempt older vehicles that are most likely to fail these inspections? No, of course it doesn't. New vehicles within the most recent 3 model years are also exempt.
- throwaway0a5e 5y ago
  Beyond 30yr the people driving them are doing it for fun and aren't going to generally be running bald tires down the highway in the rain and when they do they are doing it full well knowing that they have to be super careful. Basically they know what they're getting into and don't need the state to tell them why working lights are good and brake pads shouldn't make metal noises.
- FDSGSG 5y ago
  > Author is in NC, same as me This hardly matters though because you don't need to register the vehicle in the state you're living in.
  - js2 5y ago
    Every state I have lived in requires you to register the vehicle in that state: NC: Within 60 days of establishing a permanent residence in North Carolina, new residents who plan to operate a motor vehicle must get a North Carolina driver license and title and register their vehicles with the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles. https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/help/moving/Pages/new-residents.aspx https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/help/moving/Pages/new-residents.as... GA: If you own or lease a vehicle in Georgia, you must register it with the state. [...] New residents should register their vehicle no more than 30 days from the date they move to Georgia. https://georgia.gov/register-vehicle https://georgia.gov/register-vehicle FL: When you move to Florida and become a resident you have 10 days to register your out of state vehicle. https://www.dmvflorida.org/vehicles/out-of-state-car-registration/ https://www.dmvflorida.org/vehicles/out-of-state-car-registr... CA: Once you officially establish residency in California, you will have 20 days to register your vehicle with the DMV to avoid late fees. https://frontdoor.ucdavis.edu/relocation/car https://frontdoor.ucdavis.edu/relocation/car
criddell 5y ago
The state of Washington is an interesting case. They had annual inspections and then somebody ran the numbers and found that so few cars were being flagged, that it was an enormous waste of resources. They got rid of their inspection requirement. More programs should be run like that. Set a goal, create a program, then periodically evaluate if the goal is still the same and if the program is effective.
- rascul 5y ago
  Many states barely even check anything anyway. Out of six states I've had a vehicle inspection in, only one (Maryland) did more than check lights, wipers, brakes, and horn. Inspections seem to be more a revenue stream than anything else.
  - fps 5y ago
    I think most states will fail a car with the "check engine" light on. For cars in the northeast, keeping the CEL off gets more and more expensive every winter. I had a truck that was getting a new oxygen sensor (there were 6 on the car) every year from age 8 to 12. The truck drove fine with them malfunctioning, but it couldn't pass inspection. My current Jeep, I assume is going to need about $2K every year in maintenance to get it to pass inspection. And the only reason to do the maintenance is the inspection, because it also drives fine.
    - rascul 5y ago
      > I think most states will fail a car with the "check engine" light on. Except Maryland, none of the states I've done an inspection looked inside the vehicle. The states that did emissions would fail if check engine light is on, but if you disconnect the battery right before to reset it then they might pass it.
- marcosdumay 5y ago
  How do you tell if there is no vehicle failing because your inspection takes them off the roads or if it's because nobody wants them anyway? Any kind of policing is self-denying. You can't evaluate it while it's being applied.

krallja 5y ago

It depends on the state. Most of the ones that do exist are concerned with things like “do you have seat belts? are there rear view mirrors? do the turn signals work? is the check engine light on?” Classic/antique vehicles are also often exempt.

technofiend 5y ago
Imagine my surprise when this year my 1996 Toyota was suddenly an "antique" by state law. Yearly inspection for antique cars is a safety check as you described - does it have working windshield wipers, lights and seat belts, but no longer any emissions check.
AdmiralAsshat 5y ago
There's no way that car would pass an emissions test.
- rascul 5y ago
  Not all states test emissions, either.
  - iamtheworstdev 5y ago
    and some only do it for certain counties (Virginia)
  - londons_explore 5y ago
    I imagine this means cars with bad emissions end up living in states with no tests...
    - protomyth 5y ago
      I'm not so sure on that. Some of the states that don't test are pretty damn inhospitable to cars and bad emissions is often the first sign of the end of the vehicle.
      - londons_explore 5y ago
        But there has to be a pretty lucrative trade in buying 'scrap' (emissions failing, $50 for-the-steel) cars in some states, and shipping them over to non-testing states where they can be sold as 'kinda old but totally usable for a few more years, $3000'.
- jorts 5y ago
  In CA "The California Smog Check Program requires vehicles that were manufactured in 1976 or later to participate in the biennial (every two years) smog check program in participating counties." so it would be exempt based on the year that it was manufactured.
  - mturmon 5y ago
    Yes. And the consequences of the pre-1976 smog exemption are all too clear to anyone driving behind an older car on the freeway. There's no snow where I live, so these beautiful old heaps can stay on the road far longer than is healthy.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- bell-cot 5y ago
  Unless the Official Emissions Test rules state that the tech performing the test has to start it, and that it can't be failed unless the emissions are too high when it's running...

throwaway0a5e 5y ago

When it comes to bad things that happen on the road mechanical condition is a rounding error compared to things people knew were risky and did anyway. I see no reason we should invest more than a token amount of societal effort chasing the long tail like that. The fact that you start your comment with "in the US" when anyone even slightly familiar with the place knows that pretty much everything about it is a state by state deal is a massive red flag for a comment that serves no purpose but to convert pearl clutching into internet virtue points. The fact that you end your comment with a back handed quip deriding some imagined notion of freedom more or less confirms it.

js2 5y ago

Yes there is, it varies by state. Author is in NC, same as me. There is a state-wide safety inspection but vehicles older than 30 years are exempt: https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/title-registration/emissions-safety/Pages/safety-inspections.aspx https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/title-registration/emissions-safet... There's also an emissions inspection that varies by county, but vehicles older than 20 years are exempt. https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/title-registration/emissions-safety/Pages/emissions-inspections.aspx https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/title-registration/emissions-safet... Does it make any sense to exempt older vehicles that are most likely to fail these inspections? No, of course it doesn't. New vehicles within the most recent 3 model years are also exempt.

throwaway0a5e 5y ago
Beyond 30yr the people driving them are doing it for fun and aren't going to generally be running bald tires down the highway in the rain and when they do they are doing it full well knowing that they have to be super careful. Basically they know what they're getting into and don't need the state to tell them why working lights are good and brake pads shouldn't make metal noises.
FDSGSG 5y ago
> Author is in NC, same as me This hardly matters though because you don't need to register the vehicle in the state you're living in.
- js2 5y ago
  Every state I have lived in requires you to register the vehicle in that state: NC: Within 60 days of establishing a permanent residence in North Carolina, new residents who plan to operate a motor vehicle must get a North Carolina driver license and title and register their vehicles with the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles. https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/help/moving/Pages/new-residents.aspx https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/help/moving/Pages/new-residents.as... GA: If you own or lease a vehicle in Georgia, you must register it with the state. [...] New residents should register their vehicle no more than 30 days from the date they move to Georgia. https://georgia.gov/register-vehicle https://georgia.gov/register-vehicle FL: When you move to Florida and become a resident you have 10 days to register your out of state vehicle. https://www.dmvflorida.org/vehicles/out-of-state-car-registration/ https://www.dmvflorida.org/vehicles/out-of-state-car-registr... CA: Once you officially establish residency in California, you will have 20 days to register your vehicle with the DMV to avoid late fees. https://frontdoor.ucdavis.edu/relocation/car https://frontdoor.ucdavis.edu/relocation/car

criddell 5y ago

The state of Washington is an interesting case. They had annual inspections and then somebody ran the numbers and found that so few cars were being flagged, that it was an enormous waste of resources. They got rid of their inspection requirement. More programs should be run like that. Set a goal, create a program, then periodically evaluate if the goal is still the same and if the program is effective.

rascul 5y ago
Many states barely even check anything anyway. Out of six states I've had a vehicle inspection in, only one (Maryland) did more than check lights, wipers, brakes, and horn. Inspections seem to be more a revenue stream than anything else.
- fps 5y ago
  I think most states will fail a car with the "check engine" light on. For cars in the northeast, keeping the CEL off gets more and more expensive every winter. I had a truck that was getting a new oxygen sensor (there were 6 on the car) every year from age 8 to 12. The truck drove fine with them malfunctioning, but it couldn't pass inspection. My current Jeep, I assume is going to need about $2K every year in maintenance to get it to pass inspection. And the only reason to do the maintenance is the inspection, because it also drives fine.
  - rascul 5y ago
    > I think most states will fail a car with the "check engine" light on. Except Maryland, none of the states I've done an inspection looked inside the vehicle. The states that did emissions would fail if check engine light is on, but if you disconnect the battery right before to reset it then they might pass it.
marcosdumay 5y ago
How do you tell if there is no vehicle failing because your inspection takes them off the roads or if it's because nobody wants them anyway? Any kind of policing is self-denying. You can't evaluate it while it's being applied.