Are Vehicle Safety Inspections Needed?

It seems some states are questioning the benefits of their state vehicle inspection programs. In fact, New Jersey cancelled their inspections as of mid-2010. Is there any advantage to annual vehicle inspections or is it just a way to get more of our money? Do you think repair shops used inspections as leverage to force you to make unnecessary repairs on your car or truck? Or do you think that safety inspections are an important way to keep the cars on our roads in safe operating condition?

No More Inspections in New Jersey After what some are calling a very long trial period, the state of New Jersey has decided to stop performing safety inspections on vehicles. This is pretty huge, since so many people had to annually fork over not only the inspection money, but also the cash for any repairs the shop found in their inspection. Sometimes these were legitimate safety concerns, but I'd love to know how many wiper blades were replaced prematurely thanks to a padded post-inspection bill. Those opposed to the cancellation of inspections also point out the safety concerns since major systems like brakes are among the parts of the car or truck that were inspected. New Jersey claims a very low fail rate, making it financially irresponsible to continue the practice. I, for one, would be happy about this if I lived in New Jersey.