Texas motorists may soon be rid of what many see as a tedious chore.
Last week the state House of Representatives approved a bill doing away with required annual safety inspections for non-commercial vehicles.
The legislation now awaits a vote in the state Senate.
Should the bill be signed into law, it will no doubt make a lot of Texas drivers very happy.
Licensed inspectors not so much. They have a financial interest in the matter, it's true. But they say the inspection is a vital safety measure to keep substandard vehicles off the road.
Nationally, road safety results have mixed in states that have gotten rid of annual inspections. Arkansas eliminated annual safety inspections back when Gov. Mike Huckabee was in office and there doesn't seem to have been a lot of problems. But Texas is a lot bigger with a lot more cars and trucks.
We'll see what happen. In our view, it's iikely the bill will make it into law.
But, in case you were wondering, even if inspections go away, the $7.50 state fee will remain. It will just be added to your annual registration cost.