Once again, New Hampshire’s car inspection program is paused, leaving residents confused as to how to proceed.
According to the Keene Sentinel, the state’s required annual car inspections were scheduled to end on Jan. 31. Before Friday’s announcement, inspections were supposed to be on hold until April. 10. As of right now, there is no telling when or if NH residents will need to get their cars inspected.
“… [T]he State currently has no approved vendor to operate the State’s vehicle inspection program,” the Attorney General’s office said Friday. “As a result, and after careful review of the legal implications under current state statutes … The vehicle inspection program is suspended until further notice,” as reported by The Keene Sentinel.
However, the NH Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) says, “Drivers are still responsible under current law to ensure that any vehicle driven in New Hampshire is safe to operate, regardless of the status of the inspection program.”
The back and forth on this issue leaves Granite Staters who would rather not get their vehicle inspected stressed. While at the moment it is not required, that could very well change in the future months.
“The state’s required annual car inspections were scheduled to end on Jan. 31 after a change to state law. However, the inspection program’s administrator, Gordon-Darby, sued the state, and a federal judge imposed a temporary pause on the state’s plan,” according to The Keene Sentinel. “Gordon-Darby’s lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Concord alleges that ending inspections without approval of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would violate the Clean Air Act.”
The Equinox believes that pausing or ending the car inspection program creates a major safety hazard.
Unless you live in a big city such as Boston or New York, it is likely you rely on your motor vehicle daily to get where you need to go, especially in a state as rural as NH.
As inspections are on hold, many people across NH are driving vehicles with potential issues. Without being inspected, a car could easily crash because of a malfunction you would otherwise not notice unless you get your car inspected. There is also the added concern of greenhouse gas emissions.
“Transportation still is, and will continue to be, a major contributor to carbon pollution.”
While a routine car inspection will not solve all of our greenhouse gas emissions, “Vehicle inspection and maintenance programs help improve air quality by identifying cars and trucks with high emissions and that may need repairs,” according to the EPA.
The CDC Transportation Safety reports that, “In the United States, motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death, and kill over 120 people every day. However, motor vehicle crash injuries and deaths are preventable.”
One way to prevent any motor vehicle crash injuries or deaths is by getting your vehicle routinely inspected. This ensures that your car or truck is safe to drive on the road. Without an inspection, you are putting yourself and everyone around you at risk.
If the person driving is required to take their driver’s license test to legally sit behind the wheel and be deemed qualified to safely operate a vehicle, then the car should be inspected to ensure it is safe to be driven.
A lack of mandatory car inspections will only lead to more malfunctions down the line. Drivers won’t know their vehicle needs fixing until they are broken down in the middle of Route 101. By then, it’s too late; instead of a potential $50 inspection fee, you’ll probably be looking at spending over a hundred dollars to fix your car and to call a tow truck.
While state-funded inspections would take the load off of NH drivers, we understand that our state lacks the funding. But our government also seemingly lacks care for its citizens if it is willing to completely stop car inspections altogether.
In a state that does not require seatbelts or motorcycle helmets for those 18 years old and over, it is clear that road safety is not a big concern in the eyes of those creating these laws.
What is the role of the NH state government if not to protect the citizens it governs? That includes ensuring all vehicles do not explode on the highway. We should prioritize essential guidelines for the health and safety of those who live here.
For those students and employees who have a registered vehicle in NH, you may want to think twice before opting out of an inspection, especially if it could prevent putting yourself and others in harm’s way.
