I am a Criminal?
My car is a 2002 Volkswagen Golf TDI. It's model year notwithstanding, it was purchased in August of 2001. That means the two-year inspection sticker that came with the car has expired. I haven't gotten it renewed yet. I am therefore in violation of Texas law.
CHAPTER 548. COMPULSORY INSPECTION OF VEHICLES
� 548.051. Vehicles and Equipment Subject to Inspection(a) A motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, or mobile home, registered in this state, must have the following items inspected at an inspection station or by an inspector:
(1) tires;(2) wheel assembly;
(3) safety guards or flaps, if required by Section 547.606;
(4) brake system, including power brake unit;
(5) steering system, including power steering;
(6) lighting equipment;
(7) horns and warning devices;
(8) mirrors;
(9) windshield wipers;
(10) sunscreening devices, unless the vehicle is exempt from sunscreen device restrictions under Section 547.613;
(11) front seat belts in vehicles on which seat belt anchorages were part of the manufacturer's original equipment;
(12) tax decal, if required by Section 548.104(d)(1);
(13) exhaust system;
(14) exhaust emission system;
(15) fuel tank cap, using pressurized testing equipment approved by department rule; and
(16) emissions control equipment as designated by department rule.
See, this is interesting.
My tires are fine although they'll need replacing in about 3 months. My brakes are fine. So are my lighting, viewing, and windshield-wiping systems. The Golf came with a remote entry/locking system that honks the horn upon activation and I have had occasion in the recent past to lay upon the horn for lengthier periods; I know the honker works. Nothing is wrong with the steering system. All reflectors are clean and reflect fine. Mother's wouldn't tint my car beyond the 35% limit already allowed. Each one of my seatbelts is fully functional. The car is a diesel, so I have no idea how it "complies" with EPA regulations, not that I'd want to comply with them anyway.
In short, my car is road-worthy and safe and every single one of my friends can attest to that. I'm not a mechanic and I'm not a state-licensed inspector (so go right ahead and declare me unfit to determine the extent of my car's mechanical abilities)...but it's my car and my responsibility to decide if it's safe to drive. I am intelligent enough to understand it is in my best interests for the Golf to be safe. The fact that there are people who aren't intelligent enough (or who can't afford to maintain their vehicles regularly) doesn't require me to be put under the thumb of the government. I have done nothing wrong; nothing that could constitute a violation of anyone's life or property.
� 548.601. Offense Generally(b) Unless otherwise specified in this chapter, an offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor.
� 548.602. Failure to Display Inspection Certificate
(a) After the fifth day after the date of expiration of the period designated for inspection, a person may not operate:
(1) a motor vehicle registered in this state unless a current and appropriate inspection certificate is displayed on the vehicle; or(b) A peace officer who exhibits a badge or other sign of authority may stop a vehicle not displaying an inspection certificate on the windshield and require the owner or operator to produce an inspection certificate for the vehicle.(2) a commercial motor vehicle registered in this state unless it is equipped as required by federal motor carrier safety regulations and displays an inspection certificate issued under the program established under Section 548.201.
� 548.604. Penalty for Certain Violations
(a) A person commits an offense if the person operates or moves a motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, or mobile home, or a combination of those vehicles, that is:
(1) equipped in violation of this chapter or a rule adopted under this chapter; or(b) An offense under this section is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $200.(2) in a mechanical condition that endangers a person, including the operator or an occupant, or property.
It's already a damn crime under Section 548.604(a)(2) to drive a car in a dangerous mechanical condition, so why go to all the trouble (and bureaucracy...) with this inspections crap?
Am I a criminal? Technically, yes. Do I deserve that designation? Absolutely not.
� 548.603. Fictitious or Counterfeit Inspection Certificate or Insurance Document(a) A person commits an offense if the person:
(2) transfers an inspection certificate from a windshield or location to another windshield or location;(c) The owner of a vehicle commits an offense if the owner knowingly allows the vehicle to be registered or operated while the vehicle displays an inspection certificate in violation of Subsection (a).(d) An offense under Subsection (a) or (c) is a Class B misdemeanor.
It's even illegal to move the damn sticker around. Then again, since they self-destruct once you try and peel them off the windshield, you'd be fucked to begin with, as they negate themselves once that happens.
Will I get the Golf inspected? Somewhat complicating this decision is the fact that my father is a deputy sheriff in Comal County. We've already had the "get yer car inspected" talk last month. I'll probably do it this weekend.
But I wish I didn't have to.
UPDATE(7/20/2004 1:52pm)
Time to get registered.
UPDATE 1/28/2005 11:51am
Hypocrisy or Consistency?
Comments
Those laws are generally made to protect the public from idiots. Just think how many people would still be flying down the interstate highways in Ford pintos if they could still pass safety inspections... and many people wouldn't bother repairing things like brakes if they can't easily afford it and it wasn't required by law.
I'm almost certain you wouldn't want that Ford Pinto with no brakes flowing you at 65mph
Posted by: Stuart | September 9, 2003 07:08 PM
Stuart, in response to your example...do you really think people would continue to drive Ford Pintos after the negative publicity they received? After all the exposés demonstrating their dangers?
"Protecting the public from idiots" isn't going to work with me. It burdens people who do take care of their vehicles and who are responsible enough to know dangerous situations. It treats everyone (not just the idiots) like an idiot. The law says I can't be trusted to look out for myself, which is total crap and is certainly total crap for many other people. It's insulting.
Demanding or expecting automotive travel to be safe is fine, but not at the cost of my time and money. Choosing to take the road is an implicit declaration that you are willing to risk the dangers of the street to get where you want to go. Assume someone chooses to not get new tires because he can't afford them and suffers a blowout on the highway. During his attempt to bring the car under control, he hits mine. Would I be pissed at him for not choosing safety over something else he wanted to buy? Certainly. Would I demand that EVERYONE be forced to get their tires checked every year? No way.
"Everyone" didn't hit me. That jackass did. It's his fault, not society's.
It's a choice best left up to the owner of the vehicle. It's that person's responsibility, not yours or anyone else's.
Posted by: Drizz | September 9, 2003 08:05 PM
Would people continue to buy cars without seatbelt despite the high demand for them and proof of how much they work? Well, cars makers originally made them optional and charged an arm and a leg to buy them and install them. People wouldn't or in many cases couldn't afford them. Installing seatbelts at the factory costs a fraction or it being added extra.
Was regulations requiring seatbelts wrong just because it made the consumer look like an idiot?
(and yes, people do still drive the Pinto as a classic car... for some reason)
Posted by: Stu | September 10, 2003 10:34 AM
Yes, threatening car companies with fines and eventually jail time if they didn't make seatbelts standard was wrong. It's also wrong to make it a crime to not wear one. Again, let people decide for themselves how to live and what risks are worth taking...and which ones are not.
People do indeed continue to drive older, less safer cars. Just remember to stay a little further away on the highway. :)
Posted by: Drizz | September 15, 2003 07:42 PM
I am a jewel thief.
Yes, I am a criminal too.
I love the way women from Long Island play all "hard to get", as if it was 1983 or something.
Posted by: Alan Golder | June 30, 2005 11:13 AM