January is the final month of mandatory motor vehicle inspections in New Hampshire, thanks to a new law set to take effect on Feb. 1.
The thing is: vehicles in New Hampshire are still mandated to comply with a host of safety requirements. Mechanics used to catch those issues during annual reviews. Now it will be up to law enforcement officers across the state to find and possibly cite drivers.
NHPR spoke with New Hampshire State Police Lt. Christopher Storm about what drivers need to know about how motor vehicle laws will be enforced.
Inspections may be ending, but cars still need to be safe
Safety rules for passenger vehicles are currently laid out in a lengthy, sprawling state law known as Chapter 266. There are sections related to lights, mirrors, tires and brakes, as well as other vehicle components.
Even after the end of inspections, those rules remain in place.
Cars still need to be “functional and working properly,” says Lt. Storm. “You need to make sure that you have non-bald tires. You need to make sure you have wipers. You need to have a working horn. You need to have working brakes. All of those things are still in our statute.”
If a driver is, for example, pulled over for speeding, Storm says an officer can visually inspect the vehicle’s tires or windshield. And of course, a broken turn signal or busted headlight can result in a ticket.
“We are going to be looking for those equipment violations to make sure that those vehicles are safe for not just that individual, but for everybody else on our roads,” he says.
A ‘subjective’ standard, for now
While your neighborhood mechanic has tools at their disposal for checking tire tread depth, Storm says state troopers will instead rely on visual observations. That means any infractions will depend not on an exact measurement of, say, tire tread, but instead on what an officer can see. “It is very subjective,” he says.
Drivers likely won’t be asked to turn on their windshield wipers, though, or toot their horn to ensure it works.
“I think that the motoring public needs to know: It's still going to be a lot like it is today,” he says.
In the absence of inspections, the New Hampshire Department of Safety is working with the state lawmakers to craft a set of specific standards that police will be able to enforce in the field. For example, there may be language spelling exactly how big a crack in a windshield can be before it is deemed unsafe, or specifics about brakes.
“We are working with our legislatures to give them suggestions and ideas of what that definition of an unsafe vehicle should be,” says Storm.
Police backing voluntary inspections
Later this month, a federal judge will hear oral arguments on an emergency motion that seeks to block the repeal of New Hampshire’s vehicle inspection law. The company that supplies the emissions testing equipment in the state is suing, claiming that the state’s decision to pull out of inspections without first obtaining federal approval violates the Clean Air Act.
That lawsuit is backed by mechanics, who stand to lose revenue from ending annual inspections. Even if the repeal goes through, some local auto shops say they plan to continue offering voluntary inspections for motorists who want their cars looked over.
Lt. Storm says it is likely a good idea for drivers to still have an expert peak under the hood.
“We want to make sure that everybody still takes care of their vehicles,” he says. “If there's a light on, if you notice that something's a little bit different, if you hear something, take it to a mechanic, take it to someone that is certified to look at that vehicle and make sure that your vehicle is safe for the road, not just for yourself, but for everybody else that's on the road.”
