Does Car Need To Be Registered Before Inspection Nh
Only how far will some New Hampshire residents go to get out of their almanac motorcar inspections? Remember this local news report, from just a few months ago: "Law in Alexandria say they busted a adult female who made a fake inspection sticker with an unusual detail–a cheese wrapper."
Drastic measures, maybe. But have you ever wondered what's backside this law to begin with? For the latest installment in our new Only in New Hampshire serial, we tried to get to the bottom of information technology.
Inquire around, and information technology won't have long to go an earful from Granite Staters with opinions about our yearly automobile inspection – ranging from gripes to graciousness.
"It has brought to my attention several things that I need to exercise 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 accept the customer for a ride," says Joe Bergeron, of Manchester, in between errands one recent afternoon.
Credit Casey McDermott, NHPR
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And in fact, when we asked listeners to assistance option which Just In New Hampshire question to investigate starting time, this was the most popular:
" Why practise we put up with the onerous yearly auto inspection? One-half of the states, including California, don't accept it. And their accident charge per unit isn't loftier. "
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, after an unpleasant feel where he felt he was asked to pay for unnecessary services during one recent car inspection, was skeptical.
And then, get-go affair: It's actually more than half of states that lack an almanac inspection. In the last few decades, a growing number of states accept scrapped their annual inspection programs— deciding they're too costly, too complicated or don't seem to have a clear impact on route safe.
New Hampshire is one of only almost a dozen remaining states to still crave safe inspections on most cars every yr.
And then, thousands of times a calendar month, at thousands of car dealerships, chain stores, and contained repair shops around the state, we put our cars through it.
Dan Weed, owner of Weed Family unit 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 nosotros've got a jaded perspective because, alright, we do this for a living – just we exercise this for the benefit of the customer, more than annihilation," Weed says. "What nosotros see every mean solar day for safety stuff would boggle your mind."
The style he sees it, regular vehicle safety inspections are like an almanac physical for your wellness: It's ameliorate to spend time on preventative maintenance than catastrophe up paying for more than plush emergency repairs afterwards on. Plus, he says, they help prevent accidents.
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"I've traveled to other states that don't take an inspection program, and you see cars going downward the road with fenders flapping, with parts hanging off information technology," he says. "You look at this and say, these are cars that are going 50, 60, 70 miles an hour coming at my married woman and kids – or even our customers. You know, we're looking out for the benefit of our customers. And practice I want that stuff like that on the road? Non really."
Pete McNamara, with the New Hampshire Auto Dealers Clan, points to information from the state showing that more than 75,000 cars neglect each yr for faulty brakes alone.
"And when I say failed, it's that they have less than a penny's thickness when it comes to brake pad left," McNamara added.
And so: Annual safety inspections are well-nigh safety. Sounds reasonable.
But that'due south all from the perspective of people in the auto industry. The New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles, within the Section of Safety, actually runs the plan.
And so we tried to get an explanation from them – start reaching out to asking an interview dorsum in March. And then tried, and tried again. But the agency, for some reason, wouldn't make anyone available for an interview.
Eventually, later on we asked one time over again this week in advance of the story's terminal borderline, the DMV did offering to read a prepared statement over the phone.
DMV.mp3
Mind to the DMV'due south total on-the-tape argument nigh auto inspections.
In office, Department of Prophylactic Spokesman Michael Todd said the inspection process "is focused on ensuring the vehicles on New Hampshire's roadways can be operated safely, so that when your son, your daughter or loved ane takes the keys to get 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 country's "unique seasonal changes and road conditions" tin can add to vehicle wear-and-tear.
But Todd wouldn't answer follow-upward questions on tape.
In lieu of an interview, the DMV did answer some additional questions via email – including, among other things, how much money the land makes from these almanac inspections.
You know those trivial inspection stickers y'all put on your front windshield? (The kind that Alexandria resident was trying to replicate with a cheese wrapper?) Licensed inspection stations have to buy those from the state – and last year lonely, that brought in more than $4 million.
Credit Sara Plourde, NHPR
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Nearly of that money goes to the country highway fund. Some of it goes to fight air pollution, and some of information technology just goes dorsum to the general fund.
If the inspections weren't yearly, the DMV said, hypothetically, the land would lose money.
Simply when asked, merely, "Why does New Hampshire require annual auto inspections?" – the DMV'south response was to point back to the law: "All vehicles register in New Hampshire are required to exist inspected one time a twelvemonth per RSA 266:1, Two."
That law was first passed in 1931. It has, of course, changed a few times along the way – in fact, it went from requiring safety inspections twice a year to one time a year in the 1980s.
Just New Hampshire's not lone in beingness one of the terminal remaining states with an almanac inspection requirement – and a state whose inspection laws date back to a fourth dimension when people were still getting used to the whole automobile ownership thing, period.
"Many of united states that even so have it are some of the founding fathers," says Susan Fleming, who worked on a 2015 report nearly country inspection programs for the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Fleming and her team 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, four, five times to interview them for our study," Fleming recalled. "But they weren't returning our calls, so we merely were not able to schedule the interview earlier our report was issued."
(Sound familiar?) In any instance, after all their research, the GAO's findings nearly safety were inconclusive.
"It'southward pretty challenging to identify a causal link betwixt these vehicle inspection programs and safety outcomes, using available accident data," Fleming says.
That doesn't mean they don't improve safe, she said – just that the evidence isn't there to say, either way.
Credit Sara Plourde, NHPR
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There take been a number of attempts to alter New Hampshire'southward inspection laws. In the last decade, at least 5 bills accept been filed to motility it to every other year — but none of those made information technology very far. Then, for now, plan on still budgeting for that almanac inspection.
It is also worth noting that the DMV does play a watchdog role – inspecting the inspection stations, too. The agency says they most oft punish stations for giving out stickers too freely to cars that shouldn't laissez passer prophylactic inspections, and for "emissions tampering," or reading the emission levels from a different automobile than the one being inspected.
Merely that's where I still have questions: How does that state oversight piece of work? How do they decide what to investigate? And how oftentimes, if at all, are inspection stations found to exist taking reward of customers?
Back at the automobile shop in Hold, Dan Weed says New Hampshire drivers should feel empowered knowing they do at least have choices – and a footling fleck of homework can assist avert paying for repairs you don't really need.
"If there's any question, become a second opinion," he advises.
And if you still have questions, you could phone call the DMV'southward public hotline. Maybe you lot'll accept more luck than we did.
Does Car Need To Be Registered Before Inspection Nh,
Source: https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2017-07-28/you-asked-we-answered-why-does-n-h-still-require-annual-car-inspections
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