# No vehicle inspections in Fla. - libertarian Utopia or primitive wasteland? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 25, 2002, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vehicle-inspections-in-fla-libertarian-utopia-or-primitive-wasteland/133847 "2002-10-25T16:28:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vehicle-inspections-in-fla-libertarian-utopia-or-primitive-wasteland/133847/21 "2002-10-27T15:59:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mangeorge \* > \*\*No inspections in California. Not many titty bars, either. > Is there a connection? > Peace, > mangeorge \*\* True, but the Highway Patrol does conduct random vehicle inspections. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vehicle-inspections-in-fla-libertarian-utopia-or-primitive-wasteland/133847/22 "2002-10-27T16:47:57Z")
The CHP? Never been through one. Never even seen one. They will inspect your car “for cause”. I know they sometimes have inspections for DUI. Why can’t people in the states where they have inspections vote them away? Surely the statistics would show that ther is no advantage to having them. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vehicle-inspections-in-fla-libertarian-utopia-or-primitive-wasteland/133847/23 "2002-10-27T22:12:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mangeorge \* > **Why can’t people in the states where they have inspections vote them away?** Forgive me for stating the obvious, but, in 28 years of voting in VA, I’ve never seen this question on a ballot. Unless one of the gubernatorial candidates decides to make this a major plank of his platform, or unless enough folks get sufficiently riled to persuade their legislators to do something about it, nothing’s going to change. With VA’s current budget mess, the question of vehicle inspections just isn’t very likely to rise to the surface, alas. And VA doesn’t have anything even remotely like CA’s ballot propositions; I don’t recall ever seeing one, leading me to believe that there’s no mechanism for the citizenry to force an issue onto the ballot. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vehicle-inspections-in-fla-libertarian-utopia-or-primitive-wasteland/133847/24 "2002-10-27T23:06:46Z")
**Early Out** say’s it in a nutshell; > [@](#): > > unless enough folks get sufficiently riled to persuade their legislators to do something about it From what I’ve read above, it sound’s like this issue would be a pretty good plank in any politician’s platform. Do you mean there’s no way for the voters to petition (officially) the state legislature? That suck’s. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vehicle-inspections-in-fla-libertarian-utopia-or-primitive-wasteland/133847/25 "2002-10-27T23:13:17Z")
Way back when, I was licensed by the great state of California in the areas of emission control, brake systems and automobile electrical repair. I adjusted a ton of headlights for drivers who had been nailed in CHP check points. In the usual case, the headlights weren’t out of adjustment to begin with, but the testing technique of the CHP made them appear to be so. In such cases, we signed off on the repair part of the ticket but did not charge the customer. I can’t remember ever signing off on a brake repair or an emmision system repair, but headlights were an easy ticket for the CHP to write. Florida used to have yearly inspections; in my opinion, they were worthless as almost any car can be tuned to pass the emissions tests and immediately re-tuned for performance after the certificate is issued. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vehicle-inspections-in-fla-libertarian-utopia-or-primitive-wasteland/133847/26 "2002-10-27T23:22:56Z")
Ah, headlights. Now I do remember something about this from many years ago. I guess that they did do inspections at one time, but I don’t think they have for many years. Just emission inspections. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2002, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vehicle-inspections-in-fla-libertarian-utopia-or-primitive-wasteland/133847/27 "2002-10-29T06:25:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Nixon \* > \*\*Bottom line is who do you trust to maintain a safe car? > > You or big government? > \*\* You honestly trust me over a state-qualified mechanic to determine the safety status of my car? That’s silly, _I_ don’t even trust me. Sure, I know how to check and replace all my car’s fluids, and could probably jump start a car or change a tire if necessary, but I’m no expert on fixing anything on my car. There are a lot of people who are just like me in that regard, and a lot of them aren’t going to repair something if no one makes them. I dislike paying the $20 and waiting in dread to find out if there’s something wrong with my car that will make it fail an inspection, but in a way I find it comforting, because once it does pass inspection it’s been deemed roadworthy. I’d much rather hear from my mechanic that something needs to be repaired than find out myself that there’s a problem that is going to leave me stranded (I have an old car, so this is not merely a remote possibility.) And knowing that other cars have had things like their brakes checked within the last 12 months is sort of nice too. Can anyone offer a cite that shows that there are no more accidents caused by equipment failure/improper maintenance in states that don’t require inspections than in states that do? I find it hard to believe that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-vehicle-inspections-in-fla-libertarian-utopia-or-primitive-wasteland/133847.md?page=1)