The N.H. House of Representatives is slated to consider a bill to eliminate the safety inspection mandate for non-commercial vehicles on Thursday, but its chances for passage are not good, the measure’s author said.

Rep. Casey Conley, D-Dover, said an 18-0 vote of the Transportation Committee, which includes a Keene representative, against House Bill 1426 on March 1 may well have been the death knell for a measure that faced strong opposition from the automobile industry.

“Historically, it’s a very hard hurdle to overcome a negative committee vote, particularly a unanimous vote,” he said in an interview last week.

Transportation Committee member Rep. Donovan Fenton, D-Keene, vice president of Fenton Family Dealerships in Swanzey, opposed the bill.

He said in an earlier interview that yearly vehicle inspections are important to ensure key components, such as tires and brakes, are safe, not only for the driver of the car, but also for others on the road.

During committee consideration of the bill, he asked Conley how much his measure would cost the state and how New Hampshire could make up for the lost revenue.

The fiscal note on the bill said the state, which makes $3.25 on each inspection sticker, could lose $720,805 in revenue yearly if these inspections ended. Conley said money could be found elsewhere in the budget to make up this amount.

He told The Sentinel he feels statistics on the value of inspections speak for themselves. Mechanical malfunction is seldom implicated in traffic accidents, most states don’t require inspections, and motorists take their cars to mechanics anyway as a matter of course, he said.

People also testified that when motorists take their cars in for inspection, unscrupulous mechanics sometimes recommend expensive work that isn’t needed, in addition to the cost of the safety check, usually about $40.

Kay Kammerud, 34, of Manchester, submitted written testimony to the committee that she grew up in Minnesota and Wisconsin, cold-weather areas that don’t require automobile inspections. She came to New Hampshire in 2020 for a job.

“I had an old car, it was a little rusty and scratched and dented, but it’s always been reliable, and I do my best to keep it in good mechanical condition,” she said.

When she got to New Hampshire, a mechanic told her she would need $2,000 worth of work to pass the safety inspection, even though the vehicle had new tires and brakes, she said.

“This whole experience has soured me as a newcomer to New Hampshire,” she said. “This whole ‘inspection sticker’ process has put me between a rock and hard place unnecessarily, while I was already hurting financially.

“It seems like it has very little to do with actual ‘safety,’ it just enriches the repair shops, and puts low income people at a severe disadvantage in New Hampshire.”

In the committee hearing, Rep. Ted Gorski, R-Bedford, argued against the bill on the grounds of public safety.

“I think vehicle inspections are very important to make sure that as drivers we know that cars on the road are safe to drive,” he said.

Gorski added that he takes good care of his vehicle but was thankful that a mechanic discovered rust issues on the frame during an inspection.

Rep. Thomas Walsh, R-Hooksett, chairman of the Transportation Committee, said during the hearing on HB 1426 that he’s a believer in the inspection program, but important issues were aired that merit consideration.

“It started a discussion that could continue next year, looking at predatory stations, which is a national issue, and the actual rules causing vehicles to fail,” he said.

Sponsorship of HB 1426 was bipartisan and included Rep. Matthew Santonastaso, R-Rindge. The measure would end the requirement for inspection of components such as brakes, tires and lights, while still mandating a computer check that would ensure a vehicle’s emission system is operating properly.

The House will meet in a general session at 9 a.m. Thursday in Representatives Hall at the state Capitol in Concord. A video livestream can be accessed at www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house.

 

These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org

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