Sen. Vitelli introduces bill to modernize Maine’s vehicle inspection system, require biennial inspections

AUGUSTA — On Thursday, March 16, Sen. Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, introduced LD 746, “An Act to Modernize the State’s Vehicle Inspection System by Requiring Inspections Biennially and Allowing for an Electronic Inspection Program,” before the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation. LD 746 would allow the State of Maine to set up an electronic motor vehicle inspection program and would change annual motor vehicle inspections to biennial motor vehicle inspections.

“The Legislature has a long history of looking at the benefits and costs of annual inspections,” said Sen. Vitelli. “LD 746 adds to this history, and it asks that we once again look to change the rules and, just as important, update our current motor vehicle inspection system to be more efficient and modern.”

In New England, Maine is the last state without an electronic system to track car safety inspections. Nationally, only two other states — Missouri and West Virginia — still use paper systems.

Each year, Maine workers carry boxes of vehicle inspection stickers into their office and sort the serial numbers in Augusta. After that, these workers send the sorted vehicle inspection stickers to more than 2,600 car dealerships and repair shops. The workers use a printout list and a highlighter or pen to keep track of which dealership and shop receives which stickers. These vehicle inspection stations must mail back receipts – known as stub sheets – with handwritten information about which sticker has been placed on which car. The stations are expected to keep photocopies on their stub sheets on hand for two years. In total, workers count and file more than a million sheets of paper and keep track of four million sheets.

LD 746 now faces further action in committee.

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