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" Utah drivers would not have to have their cars inspected as often, or ever again, under a proposal being drafted by a Utah County lawmaker. Rep. John Dougall, R-Highland, is working on a bill that would loosen the requirements for vehicle safety inspections. No exact language has been set in stone yet, he said, but legislative staff are considering options like requiring inspections every 5 years or abolishing them altogether. He said he hopes to have a draft prepared in August and a firm bill ready for interim committee review by October at the latest. "I'm open for input and recommendations," Dougall said in an interview with The Deseret News on Thursday. Current law requires that vehicles newer than 8 years old be inspected every two years and older cars be inspected annually. Dougall said the data do not suggest that safety inspections lead to safer roads. Very few automotive accidents occur due to mechanical failure, while the overwhelming majority stem from user error. "The studies basically show there is no difference," Dougall said. "We're doing something because we think it's a good idea but the data doesn't show any difference." Deseret News, July 28, 2011.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705388344/Utah-lawmaker-looking-to-loosen-safety-inspection-requirement.html

" The District of Columbia recently decided that its periodic motor vehicle safety inspections were flab. Performed at a D.C. facility along with emissions tests, the safety checks were junked for an annual savings of about $400,000. In justifying the cut, the D.C. Council cited a lack of data proving periodic safety inspections save lives." USA Today

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2009-12-10-inspections10_CV_N.htm

“If we’re going to invest millions of taxpayer dollars year after year in a program (passenger vehicle safety inspections), then it is essential that we be able to justify the expense and effectiveness of said program (passenger vehicle safety inspections),” said Martinez. “With a lack of conclusive data, and the current fiscal crisis, we cannot justify this expense.” Press release by Chief Commissioner Raymond Martinez, the New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicles, ending the passenger vehicle safety inspection program in New Jersey.

http://www.nj.gov/mvc/PressReleases/archives/2010/071610.htm

"Analysis has shown the impact of the safety program is difficult to measure. Only a small percentage of vehicles fail inspection, with newer model year vehicles being least likely to have problems with mechanical defects. Furthermore, vehicles on the roads in the 1960's-when the safety inspection program was first implemented-are very different than the ones on the roads today. Safety features such as seat belts, air bags, crumple zones, and anti-lock brakes are just some of the features standard in most cars today. In effect, the circumstances that made the safety inspection an imperative no longer exist."

Report No. 2002-12-06, Program Evaluation Division, North Carolina General Assembly. http://thenewspaper.com/rlc/docs/2011/nc-inspect.pdf

" Our results lend support to existing studies that find inspection ineffective in reducing roadway casualties." Research Article "Policy Ineffectiveness or Offsetting Behavior", Southern Economic Journal, Marc Poitras, Abstract

http://www.jstor.org/pss/1061500

ad more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/31/2737051/garages-help-block-inspections.html#storylink=cpy

"Our results indicated that inspections fail to significantly reduce fatality rates. We also went beyond the typical approach by estimating the effect of inspections on nonfatal injuries. Again, we found inspections ineffective. . . We also found support for the Peltzman (1975) hypothesis that income and wealth increase accidents by stimulating driving "intensity" (heedlessness and speed). "The Effectiveness of Vehicle Safety Inspections", Daniel Sutter, Southern Economic Journal, Abstract

http://www.jstor.org/pss/1060816

"Car dealers, repair shop owners and other auto-related businesses are among the fiercest opponents of curtailing North Carolina's vehicle inspections program (Very similar to Utah's). The groups have repeatedly helped quash attempts to overhaul or end it. ( North Carolina Senate Majority Leader) Harry Brown, owns two Jacksonville car dealerships and is part-owner of another in Mitchell County. Since 2008, his businesses received about $177,000 from safety inspection fees . . . Brown, the Senate majority leader, had the power to decide if Bingham's bill would advance or die. It was dismissed without a vote."
A classic case study in how and why safety inspections manage to endure in some states, even though there has been no evidence in over a decade that they do any good. Follow the money.

From "Garages Help Block Inspections Bill", Charlotte Observer

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/31/2737051/garages-help-block-inspections.html

"Among western states, Utah is the only one with a mandatory safety inspection for
passenger vehicles. . . .Utah’s fatality rate, per 100 million miles traveled, is 1.9 . . . Colorado’s lower rate (1.7 fatalities per 100 million miles traveled) without a safety inspection program implies there are other variables involved in accident rates."

Letter from Wayne Welsh, Utah State Auditor, to Martin Stephens, Speaker of the House, August 28, 2001. Interestingly enough, Colorado, a state geographically similar and next to Utah, and with NO safety inspection program, has a lower accident rate. What does that say? Safety inspection do not decrease accident rates, otherwise Utah would have the lowest accident rates in the West.

    "On another occasion, we visited a shop that does safety and emission inspections in addition to repairing mufflers and brakes. At this shop, we reviewed a sample of 150 of their safety inspection certificates from several months of service. There were 23 vehicles rejected (15.3 percent) in this sample; 22 vehicles (95 percent) were failed because of brakes and the other vehicle failed for tires."
    Letter from Wayne Welsh, Utah State Auditor, to Martin Stephens, Speaker of the House, August 28, 2001. Perfect example of why private businesses can't be trusted to administer safety inspections- this shop used the inspection process to sell brake jobs. How many of those brake jobs were really necessary? This is what so-called safety inspections are really about-selling repairs, sometimes unnecessary, to hapless motorists. No wonder the auto dealers and mechanics love this program.