Don't End Safety Inspections: Keep our Roads Safe

I urge you to oppose and vote “No” on HB1838 (Kelley), which eliminates Missouri’s motor vehicle safety inspection program. This bill puts profits for the auto industry and the convenience of a few ahead of the safety of every Missourian who uses our public roads. This is not a neutral policy change. It is a decision to accept higher rates of preventable death. The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s 2020 study is clear: states with periodic safety inspections experience 10.4% fewer fatal crashes per 100 million miles traveled and 21% fewer deaths per 100,000 population. By repealing these inspections, this bill will directly lead to more families losing loved ones in crashes caused by bald tires, failed brakes, or broken headlights. The government has a fundamental responsibility to protect the public welfare. This responsibility includes ensuring that the infrastructure we all share, our highways and streets, is not made more dangerous by vehicles that are knowingly unsafe. We do not allow restaurants to decide whether to inspect their own kitchens. We should not allow drivers to decide whether to maintain basic safety equipment on two-ton machines traveling at highway speeds. This bill also represents a shift in who bears the risk of unsafe vehicles. Wealthier Missourians who can afford newer cars and routine maintenance may feel little impact. But working families, who often rely on older vehicles to get to their jobs, will be left exposed. When an uninsured driver with failing brakes crashes into a working parent’s car, the costs are shifted to victims, to insurance premiums that hit lower-income households hardest, and to a healthcare system already stretched thin. The bill weakens consumer protections by removing the requirement for a pre-sale inspection. This strips leverage from buyers, particularly those purchasing used cars from dealers, who will now face greater uncertainty about whether the vehicle they just bought is safe to drive. The auto industry gains a streamlined sales process. Everyday Missourians gain a greater chance of being sold a dangerous vehicle. Safety inspections are a proven, modest safeguard. Abolishing them is not reform. It is a retreat from the state’s duty to prevent harm. I ask you to oppose this bill and choose to keep Missouri’s roads safe.