# Emission testing only may not be the answer, but then again no worries? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [June 16, 2017, 11:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/emission-testing-only-may-not-be-the-answer-but-then-again-no-worries/105003 "2017-06-16T23:03:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 11:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/emission-testing-only-may-not-be-the-answer-but-then-again-no-worries/105003/1 "2017-06-16T23:03:02Z")
So this truck as been parking along the street for 3 years at least, maybe the box is bolted to the body? Seen worse? ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/2X/0/07bbe6e2569d2fd709fcdc8a9bf2ec0f294a4a69.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 11:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/emission-testing-only-may-not-be-the-answer-but-then-again-no-worries/105003/2 "2017-06-16T23:22:11Z")
It’s a leaner … lol … I like that Picasso-style bumper too. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 11:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/emission-testing-only-may-not-be-the-answer-but-then-again-no-worries/105003/3 "2017-06-16T23:27:31Z")
LOL, that’s what my '79 Toyota pickup did when the frame rotted out on both sides!! ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 11:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/emission-testing-only-may-not-be-the-answer-but-then-again-no-worries/105003/4 "2017-06-16T23:49:53Z")
I’ve seen worse. Recently actually, running down the highway. Swaybacked and rusty as heck. But then my state has no inspections! ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 11:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/emission-testing-only-may-not-be-the-answer-but-then-again-no-worries/105003/5 "2017-06-16T23:56:00Z")
[https://imgur.com/56RhbyB](https://imgur.com/56RhbyB) Tester ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 11:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/emission-testing-only-may-not-be-the-answer-but-then-again-no-worries/105003/6 "2017-06-16T23:56:09Z")
I wonder why some states have safety inspections, and some don’t. You’d think California of all states would have them, but as far as I know there is no safety inspection requirement in any location in California. Only emissions inspection, and some locations don’t even have that. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2017, 12:01am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/emission-testing-only-may-not-be-the-answer-but-then-again-no-worries/105003/7 "2017-06-17T00:01:23Z")
Bet there are some sparks if that thing is driveable ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2017, 1:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/emission-testing-only-may-not-be-the-answer-but-then-again-no-worries/105003/8 "2017-06-17T01:20:56Z")
Here in Los Angeles, I routinely see cars being driven that would fail safety inspections in other states. They’re so bad, they would fail as soon as the safety inspector took one step out of the building and saw the vehicle from 50’ away Yet, their smog inspection is up to date, so they’re “good to go” 😼 Rust isn’t a real problem here, but there are plenty of cars that were wrecked so badly, they should be in the junk yard, yet they continue to be driven ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2017, 1:40am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/emission-testing-only-may-not-be-the-answer-but-then-again-no-worries/105003/9 "2017-06-17T01:40:00Z")
There’s no question that these photos are dramatic, and I know that we have all see situations that would seem to vindicate annual safety inspection systems, but statistics have shown safety inspections to have zero discernable effect on either the number of accidents or their magnitude. No matter how the numbers are sliced and diced, the stat guys are unable to find a difference. The attached data (see end of post) shows that well over half of the states have no safety inspections, and when the data is properly parsed to compare like environments, there are no differences whatsoever. One thing that has been found is that many states that have annual safety inspections end up using them as revenue generators. In NH, where certified private garages are used to do them, I know for a fact that they’re used by the garages to generate revenue by failing vehicles for things that really aren’t wrong at all. - I had a pickup truck failed because my 2X10 wooden rear bumper, backed by a 2X2 steel angle iron, wasn’t hardwood as mandated by the regulations. - I’ve seen a sedan rejected for a burned out trunk light, and - one rejected because it was seeping oil past the valvecover gasket. The second incident isn’t legit, but the average consumer doesn’t know better and accepts whatever they’re told. - 20/20 used undercover cars to sniff out dirty shops and videotaped some squirting oil on the shanks of the struts/shocks and telling the drivers that they needed new components to pass inspection. - I could continue the list, but I’m sure we’re all familiar with many such incidents. I support the feds mandating basic safety requirements of the manufacturers, but unfortunately periodic state-mandated safety inspection systems have been rife with corruption for many, many years. And countless innocent victims have had countless dollars taken from them that they could not afford for work that never needed to be done. IMHO the systems are out of control revenue-generators rife with corruption and doing more harm than good. I fully understand the reasons of those that disagree, but that’s my take on annual safety inspections. **Summary of Periodic Inspection Requirements for Non-Commercial Vehicles[edit]** **State Periodic Safety Inspections & Periodic Emissions Inspections** Alabama no no Alaska no no Arizona no biennially for Phoenix and Tucson metros Arkansas no no California no biennially for cars from out-of-state or in-state cars 7+ years old in all or some zip codes in 41 of 58 counties Colorado no biennially in all or parts of 9 out of 64 counties, except for vehicles 7 model years old and newer Connecticut no biennially Delaware biennially biennially District of Columbia biennially biennially Florida no no Georgia no annually for Atlanta metro Hawaii annually no Idaho no yes for Ada and Canyon counties Illinois no (not actively checked, see above) biennially for Chicago and St. Louis metros Indiana no biennially for Lake and Porter counties Iowa no no Kansas no no Kentucky no no Louisiana annually\*/biennially annually for Baton Rouge metro Maine annually annually for Cumberland county only Maryland no biennially for 13/23 counties and Baltimore Massachusetts annually annually Michigan no no Minnesota no no Mississippi no no Missouri biennially biennially for St. Louis metro Montana no no Nebraska no no Nevada no annually for urban areas of Clark and Washoe counties for most vehicles New Hampshire annually annually (Model Year 1996 and Newer Only) New Jersey no biennially New Mexico no biennially for Bernalillo county only New York annually annually North Carolina annually annually for 48/100 counties North Dakota no no Ohio no odd/even for Cleveland metro Oklahoma no no Oregon no yes for Portland and Medford metros Pennsylvania annually annually in 25 of 67 counties Rhode Island biennially biennially South Carolina no no South Dakota no no Tennessee no annually for select Nashville counties/Chattanooga area Texas annually annually for large urban areas Utah biennially yes for four most populated counties Vermont annually annually Virginia annually biennially for urban and suburban northern Virginia Washington no yes for urban areas of select counties West Virginia annually no Wisconsin no biennially for select counties Wyoming no no New Orleans requires a “brake tag”. In addition to the state requirements, if your vehicle is registered in New Orleans, you must also have the brakes tested annually with a short stop test. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2017, 1:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/emission-testing-only-may-not-be-the-answer-but-then-again-no-worries/105003/10 "2017-06-17T01:53:08Z")
I really do not care unless I get into an accident and if it is because the front half went one way and the rear half went another way then I care.😴 ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2017, 4:10am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/emission-testing-only-may-not-be-the-answer-but-then-again-no-worries/105003/11 "2017-06-17T04:10:42Z")
I remember as a kid the police would set up safety check points. I don’t remember if it was the locals or the Patrol. So they’d check the car over and if it passed you’d get a safety checked sticker for the window with a big check mark on it. Like those national park stickers in your windshield or those state travel decals you’d put in the window when you went on vacation so everyone knew how far you went. So everyone wanted a sticker with a big check mark on it. When I rolled into South Dakota in 66, a friend explained to me that SD adopted the safety inspections because they had found that as a cause of accidents. I still remember the look in her face trying to show me how progressive SD was. I know they had them for a few years because we had to get the sharp edges out of my roommates smashed quarter panel before it would pass inspection. So they must have stopped it sometime in the last 40 years. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2017, 2:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/emission-testing-only-may-not-be-the-answer-but-then-again-no-worries/105003/12 "2017-06-17T14:25:46Z")
Actually, Maryland does have safety inspections. Before a used car can be registered after sale, it has to pass a safety inspection at an authorized repair shop. In between, the state and local police are authorized to stop any vehicle at any time for a safety inspection if they believe it is unsafe in any way. The violator has to prove that the problem is fixed by an inspection by any police officer and send the signed release to the state police. This typically means that if you have external lights burned out, you get stopped. ---
**Author:** ![circuitsmith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/circuitsmith/32/40376_2.png) [@circuitsmith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/circuitsmith)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2017, 4:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/emission-testing-only-may-not-be-the-answer-but-then-again-no-worries/105003/13 "2017-06-17T16:00:24Z")
DC no longer has safety inspections; and it shows. I see lots of burned out lights and bald tires. ---
**Author:** ![Manolito](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/manolito/32/3070_2.png) [@Manolito](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Manolito)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2017, 5:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/emission-testing-only-may-not-be-the-answer-but-then-again-no-worries/105003/14 "2017-06-17T17:16:55Z")
In California, it is true that we have no routine safety inspections, but anything that a cop notices that makes the car unsafe (missing lights, bald tires) can get you a fix-it ticket Also, anyone with a dealer’s license is required to ensure that any car they sell is safe to drive and passes a smog check. What constitutes unsafe in that case is somewhat subjective. When I was working in an independent mechanic shop, I would often get junkers in that had recently been purchased by an unsuspecting person of limited means from some corner used car lot. I would go over those cars with a fine toothed comb and make a long laundry list of unsafe and illegal items I found on the car, knowing that the used car dealer would take back the junker and return the money rather than correct all the problems. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2017, 8:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/emission-testing-only-may-not-be-the-answer-but-then-again-no-worries/105003/15 "2017-06-17T20:04:51Z")
Yeah, but you can’t go faster than about 35 on DCs streets. Pay no attention to that guy going 55 on South Capitol St! ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2017, 8:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/emission-testing-only-may-not-be-the-answer-but-then-again-no-worries/105003/16 "2017-06-17T20:29:25Z")
I live in California, and I routinely see cars that were t-boned so bad, that they’re almost torn into 2 pieces Yet they never get ticketed . . . I suppose police officers have better things to do than pull cars over that are quite possibly a danger to everybody around them Kind of hard to get busted for bald tires, unless the car is stopped and the police officer is able to measure the tread depth. Yup, we have clean, yet unsafe, cars