If you own a car, pickup truck, SUV or passenger van in Virginia (VA), you have to get the vehicle inspected once a year to ensure its tires, brakes, lights and other safety equipment is all in working order. This is a good safety rule that undoubtedly saves lives in the Commonwealth. I suspect the inspection rule also means fewer breakdowns on the road that block traffic and put emergency responders at risk.
It amazes me that Florida (FL), Kentucky, Washington, DC, and nearly 30 other states have stopped requiring — or never did require — annual safety inspections of vehicles. To me, that is just an invitation for irresponsible drivers and companies to drive trucks and cars that endanger parents, children and pedestrians of all ages.
An annual inspection also helps people trying to do the right thing and maintain their vehicle correctly to notice something that they may not have realized was wrong with a critical part of their vehicle, like their brake pads being worn out. Unlike tires or headlights, worn-out brakes may be missed until a warning light comes on or, worse, the brakes fail to stop the car or truck before a collision.
I know I’m glad every time my car passes inspection and I can be assured that the vehicle is officially safe. What father can’t drive easier knowing their vehicle is sound and able to protect his wife and children and also doesn’t put other families at risk when driven around town or on the highway.
The fact that other states allow possibly substandard and broken-down vehicles to operate within their borders makes no sense to me at all.
JC/EJL