In Missouri, it is a proven fact that annual safety inspections save lives. There have been times, however, that government officials have wanted to eliminate the safety inspection program. This has been from the prodding of their constituents who say the programs are a waste of time, that they are not needed and shops are rejecting components that are OK just to rip off the unsuspecting customer.

I would be lying if I said there are no unscrupulous shops out there - as there are dishonest people in all professions - but the inspections in general are not a waste of time and are performed fairly.

To eliminate the program or replace the annual system with one that requires inspections every two or three years would be a big mistake. The Missouri Highway Patrol's fatal crash analysis from 1992 through 1994 showed nationally that one in every 50 vehicles involved in a fatal crash had a mechanical defect that caused the accident. However, in Missouri, a vehicular defect is cited as the cause of the accident in only one out of every 105 state-registered vehicles involved in a fatal accident.

How does the public feel about vehicle inspections? The results of a poll taken by the Midwest motorist magazine of AAA show that 81 percent of the driving population favors state inspections, and 61 percent thinks they should be required every year.

I know that it can be a great hassle for the motoring public as well as the inspection stations, but if inspections are not required on a periodic basis, most people will not maintain their vehicles until they break down or are involved in a traffic accident. The belief is: If it runs, don't mess with it.

Motor vehicles have become much more complex. The average person cannot perform the needed maintenance on these modern cars. Well-trained technicians with state-of-the-art equipment are now trained to properly diagnose and repair the modern vehicles of today.

With higher costs of new vehicles, motorists are keeping cars longer. The average age of a vehicle today is eight years. This means components are wearing; vehicles therefore require periodic inspections to ensure that they are safe for their occupants as well as other motorists that travel around them.

With the recent increase of speed limits, having worn components increases the probability of a high-speed crash because, at high speeds, there are greater forces on the vehicle and its components resulting in wear, fatigue and increased failure rates.

Among violations that we continuously see is the use of window tinting which, if unregulated, will likely result in more accidents and reduced safety for our law enforcement officers. A few years ago, a vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation. As the officer approached, the person rolled down the window and shot the officer point blank. Tinting is being installed all the time to both old and new cars. Some tinting is so dark that it is impossible to see what is going on within a vehicle. Have you ever reached a four-way stop and the other car had tinting where you could not see the driver to determine whether he was going through or signaling for you to go? We need the annual inspections to keep violations and safety requirement issues to a minimum.

Another important aspect of the motor vehicle inspection program is to require the seller of the vehicle to have it safety inspected prior to the sale. The motor vehicle inspection division investigates hundreds of complaints every year regarding defective parts on recently purchased vehicles. In many cases, customers have saved hundreds of dollars in repair costs or a loss in the worth of the vehicle.

We need to keep safety inspections on a permanent and ongoing basis in states as they are now and, hopefully in the future, have them mandatory in all states to save the lives of our loved ones.

Please contact your legislative representatives and let them know you support safety inspection programs.

Juel Clevenger, AAM, is the owner of Delta Diagnostic & Repair in Lees Summit, Mo. Clevenger currently serves on the ASA Mechanical Division Operations Committee.

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