NC lawmakers discussing bill that would scale back car safety inspections

North Carolina lawmakers are talking about getting rid of emissions inspections for cars and scaling back safety inspections, too.

A bill that would do both gets its first hearing on Tuesday.

Every year, you can't renew your plate or your registration until you go get your emissions and safety inspection completed. Advocates say those inspections keep our air cleaner and our roads safer.

Lawmakers say we could do without a lot of them.

Andrew Spaltenstein spoke with WRAL as he was on his way to get his car inspected. He said he’d have no problem with getting rid of the yearly emissions inspection. He says it’s a hassle.

"Personally, I’ve never had one fail. I don’t know how often that happens."

Fellow driver Andrew Fontaine agreed.

"It would be fantastic," Fontaine said. "Why I would just love to not have to pay to get this thing inspected every year."

Bill sponsor Senator Steve Jarvis said every North Carolina county except Mecklenburg has now met the EPA’s requirements to get rid of the emissions test. He said other states that have dropped the test have not seen air pollution from vehicles increase again.

"Just since 2017, they changed the emissions on vehicles and the amount that it’s went down – I don’t think, and we’ve done all the research that says it will not," Jarvis said.

Jarvis also wants to get rid of safety inspections for cars less than three years old. For other cars, they’d be required every other year, not every year as it is now.

"I think there’s 16 other states that do it every other," Jarvis said. "And their crash data, any of that, we’re not any better than they are."

Reece Hester represents automotive service shops around the state. They’re against cutting back on safety inspections. He says annual inspections catch problems that can make cars unsafe for everyone around them on the road, like worn out brakes, missing lights and bald tires.

"Most of the motoring public out there today likes the comfort of knowing that the vehicles they’re meeting on the road today are safe and compliant," Hester said.

Spaltenstein sees it that way, too.

"Sadly you do need to have these inspections because, if not, then there is a certain percentage of people that will drive around with dilapidated cars and cause accidents," said Spaltenstein.

Tiffany Wright, Director of Public Affairs with AAA Carolinas, said the inspection regulations incentivize drivers to keep their cars in the best condition possible.

"State inspections are so important for a number of reasons. Most people aren’t vigilant at maintaining their vehicles and wait for issues that inspections can point out, such as tires. When vehicles are inspected annually, you see less abandoned cars on the roadside. You'll see less blowouts and debris on the highways which keeps our roads safer for everyone. The awful truth is, some of us will drive a car in terrible conditions unless forced to fix it through inspections."