Will Pa. be getting rid of yearly car inspections?

PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — Legislation introduced in the Pennsylvania Senate could get rid of yearly car inspections for good.

Introduced by Senator Marty Flynn (Lackawanna and Luzerne) in Aug. 2023, the legislation calls for the modernization of vehicle inspections across the Commonwealth. Pennsylvania, which is the birthplace of vehicle safety inspections, is one of only 14 states that still require annual vehicle safety inspections.

According to a 2015 Government Accountability Office report, the value of state vehicle safety inspections was found hard to quantify. Furthermore, the impact of reducing vehicle crash rates was even harder to predict, according to the legislation.

Flynn argued that the report showed that vehicle safety inspections do not to equate safer roadways and in turn are an inconvenience to vehicle owners and their wallets.

The Motor License Fund also sees no benefit from annual safety inspection requirements, the only funds that are sent to PennDOT from the auto repair facility and vehicle owner is for the cost of the windshield sticker.

Flynn’s legislation calls for changing the requirement of vehicle inspections from an annual requirement to one only required when a vehicle is sold or a title is transferred. According to the legislation, this change would save a vehicle owner at least $30 annually, not to mention extra fees and the time spent scheduling the inspection.

The legislation would also institute a new $15 fee on the cost of the annual vehicle registration, which would generate at least an additional $120 million into the Motor License Fund annually. It is important to note that this would not affect vehicle emissions testing, as this would still be required, on a per county basis, under current EPA guidelines.

Where is the legislation now? The legislation is still in the Senate, yet to be voted on. If the legislation were to be passed, it would head to the Pennsylvania House. If the House would pass the legislation, it would then be sent to Governor Josh Shapiro’s desk for approval.

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