Texas Seeks to Bin Annual Inspections

Earlier this week, politicians in the Lone Star State approved a bill in which the provision exists to eliminate yearly inspections for non-commercial vehicles. If signed into law by the governor, Texans won’t have to run their personal cars through the inspection wringer once the calendar flips into the year 2025.

As you’d expect, there’s plenty of jaw-flapping on both sides of the issue. A lawmaker from the Galveston area has said “Vehicle inspections are a costly and time consuming process that provide little benefit to public safety,” while a smattering of groups are warning about trading “safety for convenience”.

Removing the need for yearly vehicle inspections is a thorny topic. One side claims the requirement is nothing more than a dog-and-pony show, one which can take uninformed motorists for an expensive ride if unscrupulous individuals demand compliance repairs which aren’t actually needed. On the other side of the fence, images are brought forth of clapped-out and unsafe vehicles becoming a menace on our roads.

As always, the truth tends to lie somewhere in the middle. It’d be a stretch to think that Texas roads will immediately devolve into lawless wastelands dominated by rusty Silverado pickup trucks held together with duct tape and a bit of rabbit wire, though there will certainly be bad players who will take advantage of the situation and run a set of dangerously bald tires for yet another year. However, one can rightly argue a motorist with that type of attitude will drive their car anyway, regardless of whether an inspection is required.

Then there’s the musing that inspections are applied unfairly. If Car X is driven 35,000 miles a year but Car Z’s wheels only turn half that amount, there’s a case to be made that X’s wear items will obviously be laid waste far sooner than Z’s – yet both rigs are required to undergo scrutiny at the same intervals. Texas is one of the few states to currently require annual inspections of non-commercial vehicles owned by private individuals. As an aside, should this bill be signed into law, an extra fee will be tacked on vehicle registration costs to continue funding the Texas Mobility Fund. That’s a bank of cash intended to pay for new highways. Right now, most of the basic inspection fee is directed to that fund. Any enormous repair bills are, of course, funneled into the coffers of a garage.

One thing’s for sure – state inspections are a big and, in some corners, very profitable business. Whatever decision is made, someone’s going to be unhappy.

[Image: Author]

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