Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Vehicle Inspection Laws Changing

Arkansas motor vehicle inspection laws are about to change.

Beginning January 1, owners of noncommercial vehicles will no longer be required to obtain annual safety inspections as a prerequisite for license renewal. But the change in the law does not relieve the owners of maintaining a safe vehicle.

Law enforcement agencies throughout Arkansas will be authorized to make certain that unsafe vehicles are kept from operating on the streets and highways.

Operators of cars and trucks who don't maintain the safety features of their vehicles should beware they run the risk of having their vehicles impounded.

The change in the law was prompted by a revision designed to streamline the procedure of vehicle license renewal. Act 974, adopted by the General Assembly earlier this year, eliminates the requirement for proof of a safety inspection as a prerequisite for renewing license tags. However, the law continues to make it illegal to operate unsafe vehicles on the streets and highways.

"Drivers in every part of the state will begin to see occasional checkpoints along highways where state troopers will ask for license and registration documents and check the vehicles for safety defects," Col. John Bailey, director of the Arkansas State Police, said. The checkpoints will be marked with signs and located away from active traffic lanes.

An inspection notice will be given drives following a trooper's inspection of the vehicle.

If the vehicle passes the inspection, the owner will be required to keep a copy of the notice in the car for one year and produce the document should the operator of the vehicle be stopped within the same year.

If safety violations are discovered, troopers will note the violations and determine if the vehicle can be safely driven until repairs can be completed. Should the trooper consider the vehicle unsafe, the vehicle will be impounded until the repairs are completed.

State troopers are in the process of receiving special instructions as to the operations of the checkpoints.

"As owner of cars and trucks, we expected to maintain all of the safety features on our automobiles," Col. Bailey said. "...if a vehicle fails the inspection, it will be left up to the owner to follow through with the repairs or run the risk of a penalty if the car is stopped at another checkpoint."

The driver of an unsafe vehicle is subject to be fined not less than $25, nor more than $250.

Among the parts of a vehicle that troopers will be inspecting are headlights, tail lights, brake lights, signal lights, emergency lights, muffler, tires, horn, windshield wipers, brakes, windshield condition, mirror, broken lenses, excessive window tinting and seat belts.

Owners of commercial vehicles should understand that no change has occurred regarding the mandatory inspections of their trucks and buses, a news release from the Arkansas State Police said.

Vehicles which operate under one of the following descriptions are considered commercial vehicles:

• gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 10,001 or more pounds;

• vehicles designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver; and

• vehicles which are used in transporting of hazardous materials in quantities requiring placards.

Owners of both commercial and non-commercial vehicles are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the changes in the safety inspection laws.