Can Safety Inspections Return?
It’s now been 15 years since Gov. Christie, as part of his first-year budget as a new Governor swept into office on a mandate for reform and cost-cutting, pushed through the Legislature the bill eliminating the state’s requirement that passenger vehicles must undergo safety inspections on a regular basis.
In the years since, repairers all over the state have noticed a decline in the upkeep of many of their customers’ cars. Previously, the threat of not getting their sticker renewed was enough to convince most consumers to have repairs done. Without that threat, more and more people are driving their cars until the wheels come off (literally in some cases).
That’s a danger not just to the owner of the vehicle, but to any passengers traveling with them and to other cars on the road. A tire blowing on the highway, or someone not realizing the cars in front of them are suddenly stopping because of broken taillights can cause an accident that affects someone who did nothing wrong.
It’s reasonable to suspect it’s getting worse, as the last few years have seen a sharp increase in the cost of auto parts, which makes the maintenance more expensive, and an increase in the cost of living, which leaves customers with less money to make needed repairs. While mandatory safety inspections were eliminated, motorists are still legally required to keep their vehicles in safe working order. But that enforcement falls on state and local police, and the politicization of police and traffic stops we’ve seen over the last few years may be making it less likely that full enforcement is occurring.
The challenge with bringing back safety inspections has been that many motorists prefer not having the burden of getting a more lengthy inspection, and the long line it would often entail at central inspection facilities. Many legislators, especially legislative leadership, are skeptical about moving legislation that they think will ‘annoy’ the type of voters who don’t usually pay attention to state politics. This was the problem with legalizing the option of self-serve gas–it triggered angry responses from potential voters.
However, there may be growing support for the return of the requirement. Two influential legislators have introduced a bill (A-3520) that would bring back the requirement, one of whom is the Chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee. In the biennial candidate surveys we sent to candidates for the state legislature, we’ve also seen bipartisan support for a return. Also importantly, we are part of a coalition of interests that supports this. The companies that run the inspection program for the State are happy to have another service to provide, and most importantly, the labor union that represents the employees of the central inspection facilities is strongly supportive. That’s important, as they have influential friends among Democrats, in fact, they are the primary reason why the State still operates the Central Lanes at all. Our efforts to have all inspections done at private facilities have been stopped by their fear of union job losses.
If nothing else, there may be an opening for a partial return of the requirement, such as it only applying at first to older vehicles and to vehicles used as ride-shares (Uber/Lyft).
What have your experiences been in the last few years? How has it affected your business? How much has the condition of customers’ vehicles changed over the years? Do you feel the roads are safer or more dangerous in a meaningful way?
Stories from actual repair shops will be CRITICAL in building support among legislators for this. Please email Eric@njgca.org or call 732-256-9646 with any stories or data you have!
Also, when the law was changed, NJGCA created and sent members a large poster reminding repair shop customers of their requirements under the law. You can view the poster below, and we are happy to mail a 24x36in poster to any member who would like one free of charge, just reply to this email with your address!
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