Overview
The following four pillars are vital to roadway safety: 1) Safe Road Design, 2) Safe Motor Vehicles, 3) Qualified Drivers, and 4) Good Driving Decisions by motor vehicle operators. Elimination or minimization of any pillar negatively impacts roadway safety.
To ensure motor vehicles are safe for roadway operation, Missouri currently has 12,148 licensed inspector/mechanics at 3,860 official motor vehicle safety inspection stations across the state.
Numerous Technical Studies Confirm Effectiveness
Carnegie Mellon University Study (January 2022)
• States with I/M programs have a lower fatality rate than those without.
• Based on data from 50 states over a 44-year period, I/M programs have a negative and causal relationship with roadway fatalities.
University of Texas Center for Transportation Research (October 2018)
• Crashes involving vehicles with defects are twice as likely to result in a fatality than crashes with non-defective vehicles.
• The study team recommended Texas retain the inspection program for personal vehicles.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
April 2014: NHTSA released uniform guidelines stating each state should have a program for periodic inspection of all registered vehicles to reduce the number of vehicles with conditions that may contribute to crashes.
From the Automotive Industry
Autocare Association Report (August 2020)
• In the 11 years following the elimination of South Carolina's safety inspection program, the state experienced a 29.04% increase in traffic fatalities.
• The year following the elimination of Mississippi's program, the state experienced an 11% increase in traffic fatalities.
Head-to-Head Comparison
NHTSA's 2020 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) indicates:
• States with inspections experience 9.7% fewer fatal crashes per 100 million miles traveled and 10.3% fewer deaths per 100,000 population compared to national average.
• Compared to states without inspections: 10.4% fewer fatal crashes per 100 million miles traveled and 21% fewer deaths per 100,000 population.
Typical Lifespan of Safety-Related Components
• Ball joints: 70,000 miles
• Brake calipers: 75,000–100,000 miles
• Brake hoses: Up to six years
• Brake pads: 40,000 miles
• Brake rotors: 30,000–70,000 miles
• Tires: 60,000–75,000 miles
• Wheel bearings: 85,000–100,000 miles
Real-World Safety Defects Found
Examples of defects identified during Missouri inspections include:
• A driver had driven on a defective tire until the tire tread was completely gone
• A defective brake hose was located during inspection
• A fuel tank was found strapped to the vehicle using a ratchet strap
• An out-of-state vehicle showed extreme failure of braking components that was preventable through periodic inspections