Automobile technicians and public safety officials largely expressed concern about news that New Hampshire will no longer require vehicle inspections starting next year.
The annual obligation for car ownership will expire on Jan. 31, 2026. The budget Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed last month included the elimination of the requirement in order get a sticker.
“I’m not thrilled about about it. It raises lots of safety concerns,” said Dublin Police Chief Tim Suokko. “Law enforcement made its concerns about this change known in Concord. We were discouraged that it passed.”
Suokko added that he anticipates an increase in traffic stops owning to safety violations on vehicles.
Down the street from Suokko’s office, Alex Vogel of AVA Restoration Services of Dublin said the change probably wouldn’t have a big impact on his business. The Dublin operation does car inspections, but focuses on high-end European models.
“People who bring their cars here care about them, and they’re going to maintain them regardless of a law,” he said. “But there are always a few who will drive something until it falls apart,” he added.
Dublin Select Board member Blake Minckler offered another perspective.
“I see the logic to inspections, but suppose someone has to spend $1,000 to fix something to get a sticker, and doesn’t have the funds. That’s a hardship; the person couldn’t get to work,” said Minckler.
At Gauthier Auto Service in Jaffrey, Kyle Martin called the change “a little scary. We see some vehicles that shouldn’t be on the road. He noted that checking the efficiency of brakes and brake lights is a safety issue.
“If they’re going to scrap inspections, they should implement a mandatory auto insurance law,” said Martin, noting a box that Granite State drivers do not have to check off.
According to the New Hampshire Insurance Department motor vehicle laws “do not require you to carry auto insurance, but you must be able to demonstrate that you are able to provide sufficient funds to meet New Hampshire motor vehicle financial responsibility requirements in the event of an “at fault” accident. If you are unable to meet these requirements your driving privileges in New Hampshire may be suspended.”
Martin explained that if drivers are allowed to “let their cars become unsafe,” drivers should be required to carry insurance if their condition results in accidents.
“There are people out there who, if they don’t have to fix it, they won’t,” he said.
Martin also noted the impact on businesses of this development.
“We do 25 to 30 inspections a week, and at $50 apiece, over the course of a year, that’s a whole person’s salary,” he said.
At Haley’s Service Center in Hancock, co-owner Sarah Tracy echoed Martin’s sentiments.
“The big argument you heard was that people will continue to maintain their vehicles without the requirement, but I’ve seen things to the contrary,” said Tracy.
She offered an example of a customer who had moved to New Hampshire from Connecticut, which does not require inspections, and when told that New Hampshire does for now, decided not to register his car in the state to avoid the process.
“The fees for inspections we won’t collect isn’t a big deal, as we’ll have work, and some will continue to get inspections done, but not everyone,” said Tracy. “If the requirement is gone at the end of January, there are people who, if their sticker expires in November, will just not get it done to be in compliance for two months.”
A customer outside Haley’s from Massachusetts who did not want to be identified expressed surprise at the law.
“I have a canoe trailer that I even have to get inspected in my state,” he said.
Wilton Police Chief John Frechette said that to eliminate safety inspections is a dangerous precedent, “especially in a state that does not require auto insurance,” echoing Martin’s thinking. Frechette said /people will still be responsible for keeping their vehicles in satisfactory condition, inspections or not.
“They didn’t remove the defective equipment statutes, which will require people to maintain their vehicles without having an auto inspection telling them to do so,” Frechette said.
Under New Hampshire RSA 266:1, if a “defective equipment tag is issued for a vehicle under the authority of, such tag shall provide a minimum period of 72 hours in which the owner of such vehicle is required to repair the defect specified in said tag.”
“I think we’ll have a lot more tickets for safety violations, bald tires, defective brakes and the like. I didn’t think in a million years that law would pass in Concord,” said Frechette.