hi cb- was surprised when I moved to fla in 03 from nj. the prior postings here clearly establish what a scam mechanical and emissions inspection is in nj and other mandated states. fla has none except in a few large cities for emissions. the stations are terribly overcrowded no matter what time you go. one nj dmv jockey told me every car over 5 years old automatically fails for emissions and you have to show a receipt for up to $500 of work to pass on reinspection. that was a lobbied for result from shyster dealers seeking profit enhancers. think a compromise was reached in the 90s where if 25+ years old the car was exempt. heard California is the worst. still cars in a seriously dilapidated mechanical/safety condition or ones that resemble a mosquito fogger going down the street while uncommon still should be curbed with unsafe operation or public nuisance citations when spotted by a copper. back in the 70s I had a shot 53 ford flathead coupe smoker and was stopped by a copper who was going to give me public nuisance citation but felt sorry for me since I was only a poor schoolteacher and gave me a warning. uncle moe told me there was still some justice in the world. thanks tons oldduke

Hi Dan,

There are 17 states that require regular mechanical safety inspections and two that require it only for a vehicle being registered from another state. Florida is not one of them. That leaves 33 states without inspections.

Because of this mix there is plenty of data. It may seem counter intuitive, but there is nothing in the data to suggest that these inspections have any significant effect on the accident rate. The proportion of incidents due to mechanical failure is similar in all states, and way down the list after DUI's, speeding, tailgating, texting, weather, driver error, etc..

It should surprize no one that the lobbying for mandatory inspections comes not from the insurance industry, but from vehicle dealers and repair facilities. There's also a company that has developed a computerized inspection data system and they're going door to door to every state DMV. Instead of checking off on a paper, garages now have a $2000. touch screen. Vermont bought into it, so now instead of $30., it's $60. for me to take a car in and watch a kid kick the tires, beep the horn, and flash the blinkers. In our little state, this futile exercise costs the public between $60 and $80 million. I think it's nutz.

Peter