New Jersey to phase out vehicle inspections for mechanical defects

Vehicle safety inspections will end in New Jersey this August as a way to reduce state spending.

Beginning August 1, New Jersey will join 28 other states that don’t perform mechanical inspections. The Motor Vehicle Commission says that will save about $12 million a year and will not jeopardize public safety.

Steve Carrellas, the New Jersey representative of the National Motorists Association, is pleased the inspections are ending

“People will be able to get things fixed on their schedule as opposed to having to beat a clock,” he says. “There have been past horror stories of inconsistent things that were picked up on inspection that really didn’t in the end relate to safety. So we don’t have to have any more of those close calls.”

Environmentalists say the mechanical inspections prompted motorists to perform routine maintenance like tune-ups and oil changes, and eliminating them will add to pollution.

Emissions inspections will still be required every other year, except for new vehicles which won’t have to be checked until they’re five years old.