MEMA weighed in on the Missouri House Bill 1444, which requires all motor vehicles to have an inspection before the vehicle can be licensed. The new bill would eliminate the vehicle inspection program in the state.
MEMA sent a letter to the members of the Missouri House of Representatives to try and change this new bill. The letter recommends that each state implement a vehicle safety inspection program, and that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) confirmed that officials from 15 states with inspection programs attest to the effectiveness of vehicle safety inspections in improving safety and reducing collisions.
In the letter MEMA states, “safety inspections are becoming more important as consumers keep vehicles longer and underperformed vehicle maintenance increases. Nationally, the average age of passenger cars and light trucks combined is now 11.5 years, which has been rising steadily for more than 15 years. At the same time, AASA estimates $66 billion worth of vehicle maintenance was underperformed in 2013. As these trends continue, the highway safety benefits of robust annual vehicle safety inspection programs will increase in the coming years.”
MEMA believes that it is an important issue that needs to be addressed. Over the years, the association has been involved in opposing other state bills to eliminate vehicle inspection programs, like Louisiana, Texas and West Virginia, and in New Hampshire. They have also supported recent legislation to maintain vehicle inspection programs in New Jersey and require an inspection program in South Carolina.
The Automotive Service Association as well as the American Automobile Association of Missouri are against eliminating mandatory inspections. According to The Kansas City Star, many professionals believe that the inspections are a matter of public safety and should not be eliminated.
“As you know, neglecting routine maintenance and ignoring the replacement of vehicle safety components is dangerous for the motoring public. Annual inspection programs maintain the safety of vehicles by keeping vehicles that do not pass inspection and are unsafe off streets and highways,” Bill Long, president, chief operating officer at AASA, said.
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