A Case for the Inspector

A few days ago policemen prowled local roads eagerly hauling in drivers who did not have the new Massachusetts automobile inspection stickers. The penalty: a fat fine. Neither the policemen nor the courts which levied the fines seemed disturbed by the effectiveness of those stickers, but they should have been. For Massachusetts is stringently enforcing an inspection that is almost valueless.

Vehicle inspection in this state is left up to approved gas stations; station attendants drive the cars around a bit, fiddle with the lights, pump the brake pedal a few times, and pass or fail the car as they will. There are no set stations will sell a sticker to any regular customer who has the fifty cents. Some garages really check over cars. Many don't bother.

Other states, realizing how important inspection can be, have much better systems. New Jersey, for example, has built special testing garages staffed by state police and equipped for tough and thorough check-ups. There is no favoritism and no laziness in New Jersey; if something is wrong with a car, it does not pass. Illinois has a similar system. In both states these inspections have cut effectively into the accident rate. Mechanical failures can be a prime cause of auto accidents; Massachusetts is only paying lip service to the job of preventing such failure.