B&D News ~ June 1999

Welcome to the third edition of the B&D Automotive Newsletter via the Internet. The previous newsletter issues are available below.

Due to the importance of the May news articles, I am going to leave them as the primary issues until I get the results they were intended for. I submitted these articles to the News Journal two weeks prior to their first article, May 21, 1999, outlining the details of the new "enhancement". They followed up with an opinion article on May 24, 1999 that declared "Everyone Wins". My articles were sent via email to the Governor's office. I also called the public editor of the News Journal on Friday May 28th when we had a prime example of a missed safety item on a vehicle in our shop. To this day, I have had no response from anyone. It seems, the real facts are being "swept under the carpet". My plans are to document examples of "The Real Facts" that we come across in our shop and those provided by other professional repair facilities. Click on "The Real Facts" to see for yourself.

B&D News ~ May 1999

Delaware State Inspection Program

Tired of waiting in line for 1-1/2 hours to get your vehicle inspected? Only to find out that the emissions failed just over the limits. The current program that the State of Delaware has in place is only the beginning. When full blown IM240 (which the current program is only a fraction of) becomes reality in this state, you'll look back on these days and think they were simple. I won't go into that issue now though. I would like to address the current situation at hand.

Recently the State of Delaware passed legislation that allows an individual who purchases a new vehicle to obtain a 5 year inspection sticker. Sounds good doesn't it? If you buy a new car, you won't have to worry about going to the inspection lanes for 5 years. Even better, some people would never have to go through the inspection process at all if they trade that car in before the 5 years are up. I understand the rational that those in charge used in making this decision. Based on the fact that several car manufacturers are stating a 100,000 mile interval before the first scheduled maintenance tune up (another article in itself). It could potentially reduce the length of the lines and when you purchase the 5 year sticker, you're putting more money in the State's Treasury.

Now for the reality of what this "enhancement" means. What about the issue of SAFETY Inspection? The average driver in 5 years time should have driven between 60,000 to 75,000 miles. It's not inconceivable that many vehicles will be driven in excess of 100,000 miles in that same time frame. Our current State Inspection program has always left a lot to be desired with regard to safety inspection. Since the emissions testing was implemented, the safety segment of the program has become even less important. Now, with 5 year stickers, we are faced with the possibility of more unsafe vehicles being driven on our highways. Don't get me wrong, I am very concerned about our air quality. The long term effects of poor air quality are not good for us or our children.

So why am I concerned about the effects this has on the safety of these vehicles? As a professional automotive technician with 26 years experience, I can give you the facts. The average vehicle requires 2 sets of brakes and is on it's second set of tires in 100,000 miles. I've replaced brakes on a vehicle with as little as 15,000 miles on it. I've seen vehicles with brakes that were into metal and those with tires about to blow come to me for an emission related failure, with no mention of safety related items. Who is to monitor tire condition, brake system performance, steering and suspension components (something the current program doesn't really address) in that 5 year time frame? Do you want your family members out driving on Delaware highways with a higher number of potentially dangerous vehicles?

Decentralizing Vehicle Inspection

After briefly discussing the pitfalls of our current State Inspection Program in the previous article. I would like to present to you a different approach to the problem. Create a hybrid vehicle inspection system similar to the one used in New Jersey. Leaving the current structure of inspection lanes and adding in qualified repair shops. A large number of repair facilities already employ technicians certified by the State of Delaware to perform emission related repairs. Without those technicians, where would the State be? Why not allow these shops to provide a complete inspection and have the authority to pass or fail the vehicle based on valid safety related and or emission related issues?

Granted, not everyone would be looking for the convenience of having their vehicle inspected while having regular scheduled maintenance performed. The State of Delaware wouldn't lose any revenue, in fact, they would gain revenue on the sale of inspection stickers to the shops and Gross Receipts Taxes paid by the businesses.

This change will require a strong public effort. Contact your local Representatives and Senators. Voice your concerns about the safety aspect of the current program. Explain to them, that you're time is valuable and the convenience of having your regular repair facility inspect your vehicle is important to you. Most of all, tell them you want Delaware highways SAFE!

Your feedback on these topics is welcome. Especially if you live in the State of Delaware and are as concerned as I am. Use the "FeedBack Form" I've provided or email me.

David L. McCracken