Car Inspections End in New Jersey Starting August 1st. Only Emissions Testing Every Two Years

New Jersey drivers will soon say goodbye to long lines for car inspections at the DMV. As reported in The Star Ledger, starting August 1^st, New Jersey will become of one 28 states that will not require drivers to get their cars inspected for mechanical safety. New Jersey drivers will only need to get their cars tested for emissions every two years. Ending car inspections is expected to save the state as much as $17 million annually.

Cars that fail inspection before August 1^st will still need to make necessary repairs and get re-inspected. Police will still be able to ticket cars for violations like windshield cracks, non-working brake lights, and balding tires.

What are the benefits of ending car inspections in New Jersey?

Save money-Ending car inspections in New Jersey will save the state money. According to a report on NJ.com, New Jersey faces $10.5 billion budget deficit going into next year. So saving an extra $17 million would be of some help. And considering the state vehicle inspection failure rate was only around 6% for 'serious' defects like brakes, it doesn't appear these inspections were cost effective.

Car inspections are unnecessary-A New Jersey representative for the National Motorists Association told The Star Ledger that inspections are not necessary since many of the things that were being tested are already part of a car's regular maintenance schedule.

Goodbye DMV-What New Jersey driver looked forward to waiting on long lines at the DMV just to get his car inspected? That wait time was as much as an hour at busier stations.

Why some people think ending car inspections in New Jersey is a bad idea

"This is a society that doesn't do something until they have to," says Al Coppola, co-owner of Belleville Avenue Exxon Station in Bloomfield. Coppola says most people don't get the necessary repairs on their cars until something goes wrong. So doing away with car inspections will increase the number of unsafe vehicles on the road.

Coppola's business partner, Harry Miller, agrees. "The whole world has inspections for things like food..." As for saving the state money, Miller says "You can't relate safety to money."

Coppola and Miller also point out that many private mechanics in New Jersey spent upwards of $12K for specialized training and equipment to conduct car safety inspections. Now that equipment is useless and the money and time spent cannot be recouped.

For more information regarding the new car inspection standards in New Jersey, click here.

Sources:

Lisa Fleisher, NJ faces $10.5B budget deficit heading into next year, NJ.com, July 20, 2010

Mike Frasssinelli N.J. will drop requirements for mechanical inspections of cars to save $11M yearly The Star Ledger (on NJ.com), July 16, 2010

State of New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission press release, July 16, 2010

Interview with Al Coppola and Harry Miller of Belleville Avenue Exxon in Bloomfield July 20, 2010