Pennsylvania lawmaker proposes bill to eliminate mandatory annual state vehicle inspections
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The annual state inspection of your vehicle could become a thing of the past in Pennsylvania.
As KDKA-TV money editor Jon Delano reports, that's what a state senator is proposing in a bill to be introduced shortly.
Some of us are old enough to remember when motor vehicles in Pennsylvania had to be inspected twice a year every six months. That was dropped to once a year back in 1982. State Senator Marty Flynn of Scranton says now there's no need for even annual inspections.
"Most cars on the road are newer these days," he said. "People are driving newer vehicles."
Flynn says former President Barack Obama's "Cash for Clunkers" program also got rid of most of the unsafe and polluting vehicles, and today's vehicles rarely have issues.
"They took so many cars off the roads. The reason we used to do that is that there were so many clunkers on the road that were polluting," Flynn said. "But the cars are made so more efficiently these days. There really isn't a purpose for that."
While Flynn's proposal would save vehicle owners the cost of the inspection, his plan also includes a $15 increase in the annual registration fee.
"I think that's fair. I don't think that's anything crazy out of bounds," he said.
"That would go into the Motor License Fund for repairing roads, bridges, that kind of stuff," Flynn added.
Pennsylvania's inspection program was one of the first, dating back to 1929. Today, only 13 states still require annual vehicle check-ups, with Texas being the most recent state to repeal them this summer. Flynn's bill would require vehicle inspections only when the vehicle was sold or transferred.
Annual state vehicle emission tests, required by federal law, would continue in about 20 Pennsylvania counties, including Allegheny, Beaver, Washington, and Westmoreland.
So far, no formal opposition. AAA said it is studying the proposal before taking a position, but Flynn expects someone will object.
"I haven't any yet, but I'm sure I'll run into some. This is Pennsylvania," he said.
Flynn expects the Senate Transportation Committee, of which he's the Democratic chair, to consider this bill later this fall.