Can You Get Your Car Inspected Before Its Registered Nh
But how far will some New Hampshire residents get to go out of their annual car inspections? Recollect this local news report, from just a few months agone: "Police in Alexandria say they busted a woman who made a fake inspection sticker with an unusual item–a cheese wrapper."
Drastic measures, mayhap. Merely accept you ever wondered what's behind this law to brainstorm with? For the latest installment in our new Only in New Hampshire serial, we tried to get to the bottom of information technology.
Ask around, and information technology won't accept long to go an earful from Granite Staters with opinions near our yearly car inspection – ranging from gripes to graciousness.
"It has brought to my attention several things that I need to do with my vehicle that I was unaware of," says Barbara Barksdale, of Epsom.
"Some of the mechanics in the garages – they're either A, too picky, or B, they want to take the customer for a ride," says Joe Bergeron, of Manchester, in between errands i contempo afternoon.
Credit Casey McDermott, NHPR
/
And in fact, when nosotros asked listeners to aid pick which But In New Hampshire question to investigate get-go, this was the most popular:
" Why do we put up with the onerous yearly machine inspection? Half of the states, including California, don't have it. And their blow charge per unit isn't high. "
Our question-asker didn't want to be part of this story, and we're going to respect his privacy. But suffice it to say this Granite Stater, subsequently an unpleasant experience where he felt he was asked to pay for unnecessary services during one recent car inspection, was skeptical.
So, outset affair: It's actually more than half of states that lack an annual inspection. In the concluding few decades, a growing number of states have scrapped their annual inspection programs— deciding they're too costly, too complicated or don't seem to have a articulate touch on route safety.
New Hampshire is ane of merely about a dozen remaining states to still require rubber inspections on well-nigh cars every year.
Then, thousands of times a month, at thousands of auto dealerships, concatenation stores, and independent repair shops effectually the state, we put our cars through it.
Dan Weed, possessor of Weed Family Automotive in Concord, has been in the auto business for decades – and understands why some people might be skeptical of the practice.
"Of course, people are going to say we've got a jaded perspective because, alright, we exercise this for a living – but nosotros do this for the benefit of the client, more than anything," Weed says. "What we see every 24-hour interval for condom stuff would boggle your heed."
The way he sees it, regular vehicle safety inspections are similar an annual physical for your health: It's better to spend time on preventative maintenance than catastrophe up paying for more costly emergency repairs later on. Plus, he says, they aid forbid accidents.
Credit Casey McDermott, NHPR
/
"I've traveled to other states that don't have an inspection plan, and you lot run across cars going down the road with fenders flapping, with parts hanging off it," he says. "You look at this and say, these are cars that are going l, 60, seventy miles an hr coming at my wife and kids – or even our customers. You lot know, nosotros're looking out for the benefit of our customers. And practise I want that stuff similar that on the road? Not actually."
Pete McNamara, with the New Hampshire Auto Dealers Association, points to data from the state showing that more than 75,000 cars fail each twelvemonth for faulty brakes lonely.
"And when I say failed, it's that they have less than a penny'southward thickness when it comes to brake pad left," McNamara added.
Then: Annual prophylactic inspections are about rubber. Sounds reasonable.
But that'southward all from the perspective of people in the motorcar manufacture. The New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles, within the Section of Safety, actually runs the program.
So we tried to go an explanation from them – first reaching out to asking an interview back in March. And then tried, and tried again. But the agency, for some reason, wouldn't make anyone available for an interview.
Eventually, after we asked one time again this week in advance of the story's terminal deadline, the DMV did offer to read a prepared statement over the telephone.
DMV.mp3
Listen to the DMV's total on-the-record statement about machine inspections.
In part, Department of Rubber Spokesman Michael Todd said the inspection process "is focused on ensuring the vehicles on New Hampshire's roadways can be operated safely, and then that when your son, your daughter or loved one takes the keys to become out for the evening, that the state inspected vehicle is safe for them and other travelers on the road." He likewise noted that inspections are important considering the state'due south "unique seasonal changes and road weather" tin add to vehicle wear-and-tear.
But Todd wouldn't answer follow-up questions on tape.
In lieu of an interview, the DMV did answer some boosted questions via electronic mail – including, among other things, how much coin the state makes from these almanac inspections.
You know those little inspection stickers yous put on your front windshield? (The kind that Alexandria resident was trying to replicate with a cheese wrapper?) Licensed inspection stations take to purchase those from the state – and last year solitary, that brought in more than $four million.
Credit Sara Plourde, NHPR
/
Nearly of that money goes to the freeway fund. Some of it goes to fight air pollution, and some of information technology merely goes back to the general fund.
If the inspections weren't yearly, the DMV said, hypothetically, the land would lose money.
But when asked, only, "Why does New Hampshire crave almanac auto inspections?" – the DMV's response was to indicate back to the police force: "All vehicles register in New Hampshire are required to be inspected in one case a twelvemonth per RSA 266:ane, II."
That law was commencement passed in 1931. Information technology has, of course, inverse a few times forth the fashion – in fact, information technology went from requiring rubber inspections twice a year to one time a year in the 1980s.
Just New Hampshire's not alone in beingness 1 of the last remaining states with an almanac inspection requirement – and a state whose inspection laws engagement back to a time when people were still getting used to the whole auto ownership thing, catamenia.
"Many of usa that yet take it are some of the founding fathers," says Susan Fleming, who worked on a 2015 study nigh country inspection programs for the U.South. Government Accountability Office.
Fleming and her squad analyzed studies, looked at crash data and interviewed officials in all the states with annual inspection requirements – well, all except for New Hampshire.
"We contacted them multiple times – gosh, I think three, iv, five times to interview them for our report," Fleming recalled. "Only they weren't returning our calls, so nosotros just were non able to schedule the interview earlier our report was issued."
(Audio familiar?) In any instance, after all their research, the GAO'southward findings about safety were inconclusive.
"Information technology's pretty challenging to identify a causal link between these vehicle inspection programs and safety outcomes, using bachelor accident data," Fleming says.
That doesn't mean they don't improve prophylactic, she said – merely that the bear witness isn't at that place to say, either fashion.
Credit Sara Plourde, NHPR
/
There have been a number of attempts to change New Hampshire's inspection laws. In the last decade, at least five bills take been filed to move it to every other year — but none of those made information technology very far. So, for now, plan on withal budgeting for that annual inspection.
It is besides worth noting that the DMV does play a watchdog role – inspecting the inspection stations, too. The agency says they nigh frequently punish stations for giving out stickers too freely to cars that shouldn't pass prophylactic inspections, and for "emissions tampering," or reading the emission levels from a different car than the ane being inspected.
Simply that's where I still have questions: How does that state oversight work? How do they decide what to investigate? And how often, if at all, are inspection stations found to exist taking advantage of customers?
Back at the auto shop in Concord, Dan Weed says New Hampshire drivers should feel empowered knowing they practise at least have choices – and a little scrap of homework tin can help avoid paying for repairs y'all don't actually need.
"If at that place'due south any question, get a second opinion," he advises.
And if you still have questions, yous could call the DMV's public hotline. Maybe you'll have more luck than we did.
Can You Get Your Car Inspected Before Its Registered Nh,
Source: https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2017-07-28/you-asked-we-answered-why-does-n-h-still-require-annual-car-inspections
Posted by: dionplacrour.blogspot.com
0 Response to "Can You Get Your Car Inspected Before Its Registered Nh"
Post a Comment