News--January 1998

Hello Massachusetts motorists!

Now that the year has drawn to a close, I thought I'll review 1997 for us and look ahead to 1998.

The biggest news in the past year was the last minute passage of a new state inspection program. Renamed "Emissions Check-up," the program will involve the present equipment check every year and a new rolling dynamometer test every other year. Vehicles will be placed on a set of rollers and tested for pollution emissions while driven by 'technicians' at speeds up to 55 mph. For the first time in Massachusetts, diesels, trucks and busses will also get tested. This program is supposed to be in place next summer and officially started in 1999.
The details are still sketchy, but there will be three exceptions to pollution-testing:

• Brand new vehicles will not be pollution-tested for their first two years.
• Vehicles older than 15 years will be exempt from the test.
• 'Poor' owners who invest $200 or $250 into repairs and their vehicle will still not pass, will be granted temporary inspection stickers.

There are also a couple of details still to be resolved:

• The cost. Officials 'hope' the new testing will not cost us more than the present $15.
• Testing of all-wheel-drive vehicles. Some states that use a similar dynamometer test, test AWD vehicles the 'old' way, i.e. while at idle. But in other states, each county has at least one special four-wheel-drive facility.

But there are some other questions that are not being answered by the Department of Environmental Protection:

1. The effectiveness of the program: According to the latest research, automobiles cause less than 30% of all air-born pollution. How will the other 70% be addressed?

2. Qualifications of the 'technicians.': Typically, states have been subcontracting the pollution tests to private companies. There are numerous reports of damages caused by inexperienced operators hired by these companies. The reports list everything from clutch and transmission damage to actual collisions.

3. Inconvenience to the motorist: Since the new and more expensive equipment will not be available at as many testing stations as now and since the test itself will take longer to accomplish, longer waiting is to be expected. How much longer will all of this take?

If you are concerned as I am, please write or call:

LOOKING AHEAD: The biggest news for the coming year is the upcoming ballot "Should the Tolls be Eliminated on the Massachusetts Turnpike?" What do you think? Don't forget to voice your opinion in the November elections. Till then, happy New Year to all. And for safety sake, please sound your horn loud and clear at every speed bump you come across!

Ivan Sever
MA NMA Activist, ma@motorists.org
1/98

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