I've had cars registered in New York, New Jersey, Texas and California.
In New York and Texas, safety inspections are done at shops that do
repairs. Which I always thought was a conflict of interest. But never got
stung. (Thankfully.)
New Jersey has the best system I've encountered. It's run by the state
and it's simple. (What a surprise.) You drive your car assembly-line
style through a building with stations and inspectors that check the car.
My favorite is the brake test. The inspector accellerates the car, then
abruptly stops it atop movable floor pads that measure the braking power.
(Of course, at the station right before this one, another inspected
checks the front pads and tires.) The results are displayed on a large
device that looks like an old-fashioned gas pump with four large
mercury-filled tubes. As the car stops the mercury climbs upward. You can
actually tell which brakes are doing the stopping. At the end they slap
an inspection sticker on your car.
California is the first place I've lived that doesn't have a safety
inspection. You can have bald tires, no brakes, iffy steering, and
non-functioning lighting, but if your hydrocarbons are within limits,
you're safe to drive. I have a feeling there are a lot of questionable
cars on the road. But at least they're now requiring proof of insurance
to register a car.
Joseph
67 Roadster
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