One Bangor Democrat has now proposed exempting new cars from Maine’s annual vehicle safety inspections, making the legislative push to axe the requirement a bipartisan issue after a Sanford Republican introduced a similar measure earlier this year.
Under the latest proposed bill, cars would not be required to undergo an annual safety inspection for the first three years after it is manufactured.
That said, this exemption would be nullified if the vehicle were involved in a crash or natural disaster, as well as if the car is sold to another owner.
LD 661, sponsored by Rep. Amy J. Roeder (D-Bangor), was introduced Tuesday and referred to the Legislature’s Transportation Committee for further consideration.
A public hearing has not yet been scheduled for this bill, although one can be expected at some point in the coming weeks.
Click Here for More Information on LD 661
Rep. Roeder’s is not the only bill this year related to the state’s vehicle inspection system.
Under LD 320, introduced by Rep. Ann Fredericks (R-Sanford), the annual safety inspection requirement would be repealed entirely for the majority of cars that are driven by Mainers on a daily basis.
“Other states have already abolished this antiquated requirement that is an inconvenience,” Fredericks said.
From Frederick’s perspective, advancements in safety standards and auto-making technology mean that annual inspections should no longer be necessary for most personal vehicles.
The bill would not alter inspection rules for commercial vehicles, trailers, semitrailers, and fire trucks, according to the official summary of the legislation.
LD 320 was cosponsored by Sen. Jeff Timberlake (R-Androscoggin), Rep. Donald J. Ardell (R-Monticello), Rep. Lucien J.B. Daigle (R-Fort Kent), Rep. Aaron M. Dana (Passamaquoddy Tribe), Rep. Timothy C. Guerrette (R-Caribou), Rep. Thomas A. Lavigne (R-Berwick), and Rep. Reagan L. Paul (R-Winterport).
The Transportation Committee has not yet scheduled a public hearing for LD 320, but just as with Rep. Roeder’s bill, one is likely to be put on the calendar in the near future.
[RELATED: Maine Considers Repealing Annual Vehicle Inspection Requirement]
Less than half of states nationwide currently have mandatory safety inspection policies in place. Although emissions testing is somewhat more common, it is still not a universal practice.
Among the states that do require regular safety inspections, some mandate that they be conducted annually — as is currently the case in Maine — while others are only every two years.
Under state law, it is already a Class E crime to operate a “defective vehicle,” meaning that inspection stickers are not the only mechanism for deterring drivers from taking unsafe cars on the road.
Maine police have previously pushed back against efforts to repeal the law, arguing that the inspections provide a safety net allowing for problems to be identified and corrected in a timely manner.
Critics of the annual inspection requirement, on the other hand, have said that the system opens the door for dishonest mechanics to charge drivers for unnecessary repairs.
Having been on the books since 1930, this is not the first time that lawmakers have attempted to repeal the requirement for annual safety inspections, nor has this necessarily been a partisan issue.
For example, in 2021, Sen. Dave Miramant (D-Camden), proposed eliminating yearly inspections for cars less than twenty years old.
That bill never made it to a floor vote, however, after being unanimously rejected by the 130th Legislature’s Transportation Committee.
It remains to be seen how the current members of the Transportation Committee will respond to these calls to repeal mandatory annual vehicle safety inspections.
get rid of the stupid thing! its extortion,!! our p.o.s cars dont last ten years before they are junk anyways!! what would make me feel safer in maine is jobs that pay a living wage not some stupid sticker that keep the poor poor!
So my registration pays for the privilege of driving on the roads but the state decides if I can use it?
Just paid $728 to “register” 3 cars with a combined 286K miles on them, and they re going to scrap the INSPECTION?!
Excise fee is THEFT
New cars are much more likely to have something seriously wrong with them than a car with a couple of years use, manufacturing defects.
And for the rest of us, the cost of the ticket is WAY cheaper than having half your income extorted by shady “mechanics” who already hold us all hostage. Imagine being a senior, with a limited income that can’t afford $50,000 for a car less than 3 years old. Should we walk 10 miles to the grocery store in an area with ZERO public transportation ?
just scrap the inspections now
Wow, this actually makes sense. Typical democrat move though. Reject a Republican bill that makes all the sense in the world then submit a similar bill the next year under their party umbrella.
The goal of Maine lawmakers… Make the poor victims while exempting themselves…They will never eliminate yearly vehicle inspections, they make to much cash of making those who can’t afford new vehicles a cash cow.
It makes perfect sense to eliminate inspection completely, so Democrats will never do it.
When have Democrats EVER done ANYTHING that makes sense and benifits Maine citizens?
This whole inspection thing is a scam – we went with one pick up to a place to get sticker and dude tells us all these problems need to be fixed before he can sticker it about 900 bucks worth of crap. We said good bye. Went to the ford dealership to look over the truck they said there are no problems. We went to the Mennonite repair shop same thing no problems. So this proved these mechanics at these shops that do the inspections are full of crap like the follow the science fools.
Inspections MV
I get a kick out of reading these comments on vehicle inspections
First of all your insurance company is going to love ensuring your piece of junk you will be driving your family around on the roads, putting them and the driver you are passing on the opposite lane in jeopardy when your tie rod end or ball joint pops apart from excessive wear at 50 60 MPH you will be lucky to survive there will be NO steering. Rust is one of the biggest problems rusted control arms and engine cradles that hold the suspension in the car front and back. Being in the industry for 40 years I can say , inspections are the least of your problems if anything it might have saved your life already. State of Maine caps inspection fees at $12.50 which $2.50 is the cost that we pay for a sticker to the state, so do you think that we want to spend 40 minutes putting your car in the air checking it over and writing up a sticker for a lousy $10. This is why so many places do a Lick & Stick outside in the driveway. As far as a rip off your darn right there is I hear horror stories all the time your biggest problem there is finding a good mechanic that you can trust which comes down to about maybe 50%. Also part of your problem is you keep shopping for the cheapest back alley mechanic to have anything done on your car what kind of quality do you expect out of that is that how you shop for a doctor after your accident with your piece of junk car. There’s a lot of good mechanics out there stop whining and give them the respect they deserve keep so looking. Talk to your legislatures about raising the price they can charge they set the price but don’t know s*** about a car or any work. And the good shops need to help clean up their industry they know who the fly by night operations are turn them in. Just like our federal government time to trim the FAT. Make them call you with an estimate, they need to come within 10% or else call for an increase prior to doing the work, tell them to save the parts or even show you what’s wrong with it prior to the work you have that RIGHT ! You just can’t believe the junk that is driving on our roads that you should be afraid to even pass in the other lane. !
If you want to get rid of something instead of motor vehicle inspections, which I just talked about in a prior post, then get rid of the stinking excise tax you pay every year there’s food for thought ! And I don’t give a shit why other states get rid of their inspections because of the whining possibly, they probably have the same ignorance and legislators that go into that decision too…
GO FOR IT! Enough of this stupid, nanny state, auto industry racket BS!
Who really is behind the sticker system? I want to know names of industry / sector leaders who want to keep this in place. Or is it just the cops? Usually it’s a follow-the-money issue…
I’ve mentioned this is previous posts, but the inspection is not about safety. That is the guise, it is actually about revenue and control. Now before anyone gets their panties in a wad about safety there are already laws on the books regarding operating unsafe vehicles.
The inspection first off, provides law enforcement a probable cause to stop the vehicle, possibly leading to other charges, but at minimum, a fine the state will collect. Now, each inspection needs to be licensed by the state, which costs money, Each inspection mechanic has to be licensed by the state which costs money. The state sells the inspection stickers to each facility. Now, the real money comes in when the garage sells you parts and charges you the sales tax. I obviously have no way to quantify the amount of sales tax generated by every garage in the state, but I’m willing to bet it would boggle your mind. It has nothing to do with “safety”. Steve, you’ve got the knowledge for this…give it a whirl.