Fewer auto safety checks? House committee says 'yes'

SALT LAKE CITY — Auto repair workers stood in the aisles of a packed room Thursday to tell lawmakers they feared for their jobs and thousands of their employees if the state cuts back on required vehicle safety inspections.

But Utahns, who would undoubtedly like to spend less time and money at auto shop, would be safer with more troopers on the road than with more inspections, countered the sponsor of the bill that would reduce the frequency of the inspections.

"It's a trade-off," said Rep. John Dougall, R-American Fork. "Where do you invest the most resources for safety on our roads?"

If HB298 becomes law, auto safety inspections would be required when cars and light trucks are 4, 8 and 10 years old, then every year thereafter. Current law requires inspections every two years until a vehicle is 8 years old, and then each year after that.

The proposal would allow the Utah Highway Patrol to re-assign six troopers, who administer the inspection program, to patrol duty, Dougall told the House Revenue and Taxation Committee, which passed the bill on a 13-2 vote.

The Utah Department of Public Safety supports the measure, said department director Lance Davenport. The proposal would reduce safety inspections each year from 1.7 million to 1.1 million, he said.

"Equipment failure is not a major cause of crashes," Davenport said. Speeding, impaired driving, improper restraint and other factors cause more accidents and fatalities, he said.

"We need more troopers on the highway," he added. "We've been asking for that for years."

The bill was a compromise to Dougall's original proposal to do away with most state safety inspections altogether. Requirements for emission inspections would not be affected.

Davenport said DPS officials would prefer to keep both inspections as they are now and have more officers on the road. However, given the state's limited resources, the proposal would lead to safer highways, he said.

"It's a compromise that we feel we can support."

Before the standing-room-only audience, representatives of auto dealers and vehicle inspection shops told legislators that the measure would cut into their business and lead to employee lay-offs.

Jiffy Lube franchise owner David Neff estimated that the bill would lead to the loss of 9,000 jobs statewide.