Some states require car inspections to ensure vehicles are in good condition for safe driving and do not cause any issues with the environment and air quality. The two main types of car inspections are safety inspections and emissions testing and each state has its own requirements.

Did you know that only 14 states require annual safety inspections? New York is one of the 14, but I was surprised that so many states do not require some sort of annual safety inspection. A Google search shows that in the entire country, only Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York require both a safety and emissions test every year.

Some states require inspection of essential safety components, such as lights, brakes, tires, wheel alignment, steering and seatbelts, etc. Some require them annually, others require it every two years and some just when the vehicle is resold.

Some states also require emission testing. Nine states require emissions testing in all geographic areas, while some states require emissions testing in certain cities or parts of the state. Some require emissions inspection annually and others every two years.

Some states do not require safety or emissions inspections, but do require vehicle identification number inspections.

As you can see, inspection requirements vary with each state.

In New Hampshire, the state House of Representatives has passed a bill to abolish the entire inspection process for passenger vehicles. New Hampshire House Speaker Steven Smith said there’s no real evidence that inspections are making the roads any safer. He believes the inspections are nothing more than a money grab for inspection station owners and the state.

If the NH state senate passes the bill, which might be an uphill battle, and there are no more inspections — what would happen to cars with bad headlights, bald tires and bad brakes? The plan would be for police to keep an eye out for unsafe cars during their regular patrols.

However, New Hampshire State Troopers have testified against the bill. They said that they’re already stretched too thin to also be looking for things an inspection would normally catch.

Information sent to me, emanating from a program called “Question Everything” airing on the CBS affiliate in Boston, has an interesting perspective from Craig Fitzgerald, the award-winning automotive editor for DCI Marketing. He believes inspections are not only important, but asking police to take unsafe cars off the streets isn’t practical.

“Police aren’t going to see that you’re riding around on bald tires,” Fitzgerald said. “Go to the supermarket next time, and take a look at the tires on some 4,500-pound SUVs. A lot of people are riding around on tires that you can see your reflection in.”

I hadn’t realized this was a controversial subject, but it appears that it is. Personally, I am completely in favor of annual inspections. It gives us assurance that at least the minimum components of safety are inspected at least once a year. What do you think?