ORFORD, N.H. (WCAX) – New Hampshire drivers will no longer need car inspections beginning Feb. 1. The change comes under a law passed by the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature, but some auto mechanics say the move is misguided.
Dean Thomson’s family has owned the Orford Service Center for 55 years and he has deep roots in the state. His grandfather, Gov. Meldrim Thomson, was a big champion of New Hampshire’s “Live Free or Die” motto. But when it comes to repealing mandatory car inspections, this mechanic is not fully on board, citing safety issues an inspection will catch.
“Wheel bearing going bad, ball joints coming out. Wheel bearing getting so bad that they have caught the vehicle on fire,” Thomson said.
Lawmakers repealed the requirement, saying studies do not correlate inspections with fewer crashes. The move was mainly due to the added consumer cost, equating it to an annual tax, especially inspections for new vehicles.
Thomson understands that argument.
“I get, you know, people buying brand new vehicles spending $40,000 to $80,000, $100,000 for their vehicle,” Thomson said.
His concern is older vehicles, and it’s shared by mechanics across the river in Vermont.
“I didn’t think it was in the best interest of the public by any means,” said Ray Stearns of Lakeside Automotive.
Lakeside Auto has been a fixture in Fairlee for more than three decades. The business doesn’t do New Hampshire inspections, but does service the cars.
“We have a big percentage of our customers, being so close to the Fairlee-Orford bridge, that are from New Hampshire. They were pretty concerned, and since then, have asked us to continue doing an in-house yearly safety inspection,” Stearns said.
The safety aspect excluded, Thomson agrees with lawmakers that the emissions portion of the inspection can often be a headache.
“It’s tough to explain the emissions to a customer with a check engine light issue. We’ve been fighting with that ever since they’ve come out with it,” Thomson said.
Experts say the bottom line is all about safety, not just for those driving the cars, but also for everyone else out on the roads.
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