which in principle I am all for. I generally check my vehicle every so often and pay attention to brakes, tires and that sort of thing simply because an ounce of maintenance is worth a pound of shop time.
Besides it's a pain in the a$$ having to go in and play the game. There's always something that the inspection station finds wrong with it like the windshield wipers you replaced about 2 months ago because the old ones wore out.
A couple of weeks ago I went in for new tires and a sticker and they found nothing but then again, they did replace my tires which were at the end of their useful life.
I suppose that I would have gone in for new rubber anyways even if it wasn't sticker time or maybe put it off for a month but I like keeping on top of things.
In principle inspections take the responsibility away from the individual and give it to the state.
PA used to require inspections every 6 months as did MA. Both states changed the requirement to annually which was a step in the right direction.
Admittedly in my ute we'd do things like swap out tires and that sort of thing to get the damned sticker and I imagine some kids still do things like that but it is what it is.
Cars have gotten a LOT better and we no longer drive around in total junk like we used to back in the 60s.
I hope the requirement goes away as in this day and age as it is not really needed anymore. Besides, it will mean the police will glance at people's tires a little more often and remind responsible motorists and ticket those that need it. We'll likely see more 'fix it' tickets awarded. (Get it fixed in a specified amount of time and the charge goes away. Don't fix it and there's a fine of some sort.)
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Great idea. I moved from PA long ago to WA and here we don't have the inspection racket. You rarely see a derelict car on the roads. A trooper will stop you for lights burnt out but usually it's no big deal. The inspection racket in PA was a license to print money for the owners of the stations and accomplished very little. I watched a dildock pull off the front wheel to check the brakes and he dropped the bearing onto the dirty floor and was going to put it back on the axle when I blew a gasket. Needless to say we had a meaningful dialogue and he washed, cleaned and regreased the bearing with my supervision. I wish you guys well in deep sixing that criminal program.
ReplyDeleteWhat is so vicious is the steel industry (this was decades ago) lobbied to ad that a rust hole over the size of a dime was cause to reject. I would also imagine they lobbied to have our roads heavily salted in the winter, too.
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