Mandatory Vehicle Safety Inspections May be Coming to an End

A bill to end Utah's vehicle safety inspections was approved by the Utah Senate, leading the way to finally end the mandatory requirement, according to an article by the Salt Lake Tribune. The bill also requires an additional $1.00 registration fee to fund more highway patrol efforts in lieu of the inspections.

All that needs to happen for it to become law is for the Utah Congress to agree to the changes to the bill made by the senate, which is quite likely. Then the bill will go for final approval to the governor's office.

The approval of the bill was expected due to evidence coming from the 34 states that have already ended non-commercial vehicle inspections. Records show that eliminating inspections did not cause an increase in traffic fatalities, according to the bill sponsor, Senator Deidre Henderson, R-Spanish Fork. She went on to say that "the data shows that it is not the cars that cause the problems," and she believe that car owners are motivated to purchase and maintain safer cars, and the fatalities caused by unsafe vehicles is well-exceeded by human error.

However, some Utah legislators disagree with her assessment. Senator Karen Mayne, D-West Valley City, feels some drivers will not maintain their vehicles without the mandatory requirement of the safety inspection. "We're driving an instrument of death, and that can do harm," she stressed in a statement.

However, Senator Henderson countered this argument by giving the example of oil changes, saying that even though there is no state law mandating regular oil changes, the vast majority of drivers bring in their vehicles for service to maintain their automobiles and keep it driving safely. Henderson strongly pointed out that "Just because we don't mandate something doesn't mean people won't do it," she stated. "We want to keep our cars in good working order. We want to be safe."