Measure to scrap vehicle inspections raises safety concerns

Some Missourians won’t have to get their vehicles inspected if a bill being steered by one state lawmaker is signed into law.

State Rep. J. Eggleston, R- Maysville, wants to remove the every-other-year safety inspection for noncommercial vehicles that are more than 5 years old.

He contends there is little difference in safety between states requiring inspections and those that don’t.

He views inspections as an unnecessary cost and an inconvenience for vehicle owners.

“Our citizens are having to shell out $30 million a year to comply with this regulation,” Eggleston told the Columbia Missourian newspaper. “If we got rid of that, that is essentially a $30 million tax cut to our citizens.”

State Rep. Barry Hovis, R-Gordonville, said Eggleston may have a point. He said he is leaning toward supporting the bill. The House gave initial approval to the bill last month.

Eggleston has cited a 2012 study by the Missouri State Highway Patrol that looked at fatal crash data nationwide.

Hovis said Eggleston has provided fellow lawmakers with copies of the study.

The study, which Hovis emailed to the Southeast Missourian, found one of every 61.2 fatal-crash vehicles in states with safety inspections had a vehicle defect compared to one in every 70 vehicles involved in fatal crashes in non-inspection states.

Hovis said he spoke to the operator of a Jackson auto service shop that does state inspections. The operator, who wanted to remain anonymous, said vehicle safety inspections account for about 40 percent of his business, according to Hovis.

But Hovis said the shop owner indicated if the mandatory inspections were eliminated, he would focus on other auto care services.

Hovis, a former police officer, said even if the inspections are scrapped, law enforcement officers still may stop motorists to let them know their vehicle has broken taillights or other vehicle defects.

But fellow Southeast Missouri lawmakers argued the required checkups improve vehicle safety.

Missouri is one of 15 states requiring inspections before vehicles are licensed. None of the states surrounding Missouri require inspections.

State Rep. Holly Rehder, a Scott County Republican, doesn’t believe Missouri needs to follow suit.

She said the $12 inspection fee is a small price to pay for motorists to know whether their vehicle is safe to drive.

“I think the inspections really are necessary,” she said.

State Rep. Kathy Swan, R-Cape Girardeau, agreed.

“We need safe vehicles running on the road,” she said.

State Rep. Rick Francis, R-Perryville, said local mechanics want to keep the inspections.

Francis said auto service shops don’t make a lot of money on inspections. The shop gets $10.50 of the $12 fee. The other $1.50 goes to the state.

But Francis said mechanics have told him the inspections inform vehicle owners of problems that need to be addressed for driver and passenger safety.

Missouri AAA and other auto service groups oppose Eggleston’s bill, arguing eliminating inspections could lead to more vehicle crashes.

Mike Right, vice president of public affairs for AAA in St. Louis, said Friday that Missouri law provides for quality inspections at a reasonable price.

“It is a good thing,” he said.

Many motorists “think of their vehicles like they do their toaster. They don’t give it any thought,” Right said.

There’s also a financial impact.

One fiscal analysis estimates the proposal could cost the state $3.8 million in revenue, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Mark Rhodes, president of Plaza Tire, which operates a Cape Girardeau-based chain of auto service shops, doesn’t see the finances as a major concern.

Inspections are provided at a minimal fee and are “not a moneymaker for people who do inspections,” he said.

But Rhodes said inspections help ensure vehicles on the roadway are safe to drive.

Today’s drivers typically don’t look under the hood, Rhodes said.

“Nobody looks at anything until there is a problem,” he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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