A proposed bill that aims to repeal the requirement for safety inspections for North Carolina drivers is potentially dangerous and should not be passed.
N.C. House Bill 59 would save drivers $13.60 annually, but it could cost N.C. residents a lot more as a result of compromising safety.
Supporters of the bill cite studies like the one conducted by the Program Evaluation Division at the N.C. General Assembly. This study finds that there is little evidence that a relationship exists between safety inspections and reduced motor vehicle accidents.
While the bill’s supporters say there’s no relationship between car accidents and safety inspections, the bill’s opponents point to another study that shows a significant relationship between safety inspections and decreased car accidents.
The bill’s supporters argue that no study has established a link between mechanical defects — the sort that inspections might catch — and the frequency of traffic accidents.
However, as supporters of the bill concede, this might be because after a motor vehicle accident occurs, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of the accident due to all of the damage incurred.
If supporters of the bill take issue with the quality of the inspection programs, as they do, why not improve the programs rather than scrapping them?
Rather than resorting to a debate about what various, conflicting studies show, the General Assembly should ensure that cars on the road are safe for the people in them.
Surely $13.60 is not too much for a person to spend on potentially saving a life.
