Legislation that would have reduced how often Vermonters need to get their vehicles inspected has been relegated to a study. But a groundswell of support for the measure has spurred a separate bill that could make inspections less onerous as soon as August.
Vermont is one of nine states that require residents to get their vehicles inspected annually. Windsor County Sen. Becca White introduced legislation in January that would move the state to a two-year cycle.
“I have heard from constituents on this topic since I got elected eight years ago,” White said Wednesday.
The Senate Transportation Committee approved White’s bill Wednesday morning, but in a much different form than when it first arrived. The legislation now directs the Department of Motor Vehicles to deliver a proposal for a biennial inspection system in 2027.
“There’s a couple pieces that we wanted to review and look at and not rush into,” White said.
Among them: compliance with federal air quality requirements, which Vermont achieves via tests conducted during annual inspections. After New Hampshire passed a law eliminating vehicle inspections, a federal judge last month ordered the state to keep the program in place. Doing away with inspections before receiving clearance from federal regulators, the judge said, would violate the Clean Air Act.
White, however, said she hopes a separate bill, also passed by the Senate Transportation Committee Wednesday, will deliver the relief her constituents are seeking. The measure would fast-track changes to Vermont’s inspection manual, and reduce the number of issues for which vehicles might fail.
“Low, middle and no-income Vermonters are being victimized by a broken and unjustified vehicle inspection system."Al Knight, Alburgh resident
At a public hearing hosted by lawmakers Tuesday evening, residents from across the state said acquiring a fresh inspection sticker every year has become a financial drain. Newton Wells, of Morristown, said the requirement is especially onerous for people on the economic margins.
“If you’re driving a $4,000 car … with 200,000 miles on it and you need that car to get to work … inspection time is stressful and expensive, often unnecessarily expensive,” Wells said, referring to inspection requirements that don’t implicate vehicle safety, such as malfunctioning dashboard lights.
Al Knight, of Alburgh, said he started a “protest group” that now has more than 3,000 members. Knight told lawmakers that his group wants the Legislature to abolish inspections entirely.
“Low, middle and no-income Vermonters are being victimized by a broken and unjustified vehicle inspection system,” he said.
Automobile mechanics, meanwhile, say annual inspections detect condition issues that, left unaddressed, could pose severe safety concerns. Noelle Westbom, who works at The Source in Montpelier, said her auto shop routinely discovers serious problems with critical equipment, such as tires and brakes.
“If unchecked any longer these cars would pose serious danger to the drivers,” Westbom said.
Many lawmakers will continue to push for moving to a two-year inspection system far sooner than the Senate legislation now envisions. Wolcott Rep. Dan Noyes said it’s one of the most immediate things elected officials can do to address the cost of living in Vermont.
“If we are serious about addressing affordability,” Noyes said, “these small reoccurring expenses do add up for working families.”
