Virginia Vehicle Inspections: For Safety or Profit?
Cost for Inspections
In Virginia, vehicle inspections are required yearly to operate a motor vehicle on Virginia’s roadways. There are maximum inspection fees that service centers are allowed to charge. Those fees are:
- $20 for inspection of all vehicle other than tractor truck, weighing more than 26,000 pounds, or used to carry 15 passengers
- $12 for inspection of any motorcycle and autocycle
- $51 for tractor trucks, weighs 26,000 pounds or more, or is used to transport more than 15 passengers.
Parts of the Vehicle Inspected
As part of these inspections, the parts of the vehicle that are inspected and evaluated include but aren’t limited to the following:
- Brakes: wear, damage, missing parts, leakage, etc.
- Parking brake: missing parts and proper adjustment
- Headlights: condition, aim, output, high beam indicator
- Other lights: bulbs, aim, condition and color of lenses
- Signal: condition of lenses, operation of device, illumination of all lamps
- Steering and Suspension: wear, looseness, play in steering wheel, shock absorbers, etc.
- Tires, Wheels & Rims: condition of tires, cracked or damaged wheels
- Mirrors: mounting, condition of reflecting surface, road visibility
- Windshield and other glass: cloudiness, cracks, sun shading, operation of left front door glass
- Horn: electrical connection, emits sound and audible for 200 feet
- Wipers/Defroster: operation, condition of wiper blades
- Exhaust System: manifold, gaskets, mufflers, leakages of gases
- Rear license plate: illumination of rear plate
- Hood and Area Under Hood: hood latch, emissions system, brake fluid, power steering fluid, power steering belt
- Air Pollution Control System: installation and no parts removed
- Driver’s Seat: anchored, condition
- Seat Belts: installation, condition
- Air Bag and Air Bag Light: defects, whether it has been deployed, removed, light fails to come on
- Doors: handle and opening devices, latching system to keep closed
- Fuel System: securely fastened, leakage, filter cap presence
- Floor Pan: holes or other hazards
Do Inspections Make Vehicles Safer?
Currently, Virginia is one of only a handful of states that require yearly vehicle inspections. At least 35 states have moved away from requiring vehicle inspections.
Some people may ask whether vehicle inspections actually help maintain safety standards on the roads. The answer is . . . maybe not. Some studies have shown that there are no significant reductions in the number of car accidents or injuries in states that require inspections. These studies have not presented any conclusive evidence to show that inspections reduce accident rates since mechanical component failures only account for about 2% of all accidents.
Because many studies fail to show a connection between vehicle inspections and safety on the roads, some believe that state inspections are mostly benefit auto mechanics as well as state and local governments.
Read more in our article “Car Crashes: More Dangerous For Women“
Contact A Virginia Car Accident Lawyer
Worried about the pile of medical bills you’ve collected since your car accident? Concerned about how you’re going to get paid for your lost wages?
If you or a loved one has been injured due to the negligence of another driver, contact our Virginia car accident lawyers today. The Ritchie Law Firm is a Virginia and West Virginia personal injury law firm serving the cities of Harrisonburg, Winchester, Charlottesville, Staunton and surrounding areas; as well as the Martinsburg, West Virginia area.
Insurance companies have lawyers working for them. So, you need a team of experienced personal injury lawyers working for you, too. You need a car accident lawyer who will fight to recover your medical expenses, lost wages, and get you compensation for pain and suffering.
We believe that negligent parties should not get off the hook if they’ve caused injury to an accident victim. The personal injury lawyers of the Ritchie Law Firm are on your side to help you make the very best decisions for your personal injury claim.
When your family and health are on the line, we go into BATTLE for you!
The Ritchie Law Firm only represents victims of serious car accidents, and we’ve done that for nearly half a century. We don’t represent insurance companies. You can talk to us for free. We work on a contingency fee, which means there’s no fee unless we win your case.
When Your Health And Family Are On the Line
We Go Into BATTLE for you!
You can talk to us for FREE
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Source: Virginia State Police
