Share Pics of People Hauling or Towing Something Wrong

[buckeyefarmer]

We have an annual vehicle inspection. They check tires, brakes, lights, ball joints, etc. Gets the real clunkers off the road or repaired.

My sister has lived in SC and now OH. Both states without safety inspections. She said there cars on the road in those states you would not see in MA.

Ohio used to do random roadside inspections. Not sure if they still do.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

You know there are people that get around safeties, like knowing someone and get the old "lick and stick". I think the statistics would show that it is rare that people get hurt or killed because of unsafe vehicles. Used to be a time when you would get pulled over for a light out and have 48 hours to report to a POLICE station showing the repair. Way too reasonable for this day and age I guess.

They do that in MD. Ask my wife, lol. Was a PITA to find someone to get it signed off that the repair was done.

 

[Diggin It]

'Equipment Violations' are the trick here. They write you for a light out and cite you into Court. If you get the repair done, you can have an officer inspect it and the citation will be discarded. Not sure if there are any fees.

Some Deputies and Troopers have another trick up their sleeves though. They'll observe a vehicle they want to search looking for minor things like a bad license plate light. Once they make the stop, they'll waffletalk their way into 'consent' from the driver even if the driver isn't sure they agreed to it. Next thing they hear is the click of the cuffs. The officer already knows what's in the vehicle before the stop, they just don't want to bother with getting a search warrant.


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I did a bad one yesterday though. 4'x 8' HF type utility trailer loaded with some 2x6x14s, some other boards and 6 sheets of 13'6" metal roof panels. I don't think it was over weight, but with nearly 6' of metal hanging off the back, the COG was definitely behind the axle. When they slid it off the HiLo, the hitch jumped up enough to lift the back of the car. Strapped it all down and went on my way. Made it home fine.

 

[Jstpssng]

Years ago I worked landscaping with two brothers. Nels, the younger limped because his foot went through the rusted floorboards when his brother's pickup left the road. They said they didn't know what happened, it suddenly veered into the ditch.
On a later occasion the older brother said that our boss had given him a set of tube type tires for his truck. He didn't have any tubes but he aired them up and they held so he ran them that way. I didn't say anything but it's most likely the cause of the wreck.

 

[two_bit_score]

We don't have "Safety Inspections" here in MI and I would really like to see some evidence that the inspections in other states a) saves lives, b) reduces accidents, or c) actually makes the hyways safer.

I agree. Headlight aim is important.

Ironically, it was one of the first things dropped from MVI requirements years and years ago.

 

[two_bit_score]

'Equipment Violations' are the trick here. They write you for a light out and cite you into Court. If you get the repair done, you can have an officer inspect it and the citation will be discarded. Not sure if there are any fees.

Some Deputies and Troopers have another trick up their sleeves though. They'll observe a vehicle they want to search looking for minor things like a bad license plate light. Once they make the stop, they'll waffletalk their way into 'consent' from the driver even if the driver isn't sure they agreed to it. Next thing they hear is the click of the cuffs. The officer already knows what's in the vehicle before the stop, they just don't want to bother with getting a search warrant.


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I did a bad one yesterday though. 4'x 8' HF type utility trailer loaded with some 2x6x14s, some other boards and 6 sheets of 13'6" metal roof panels. I don't think it was over weight, but with nearly 6' of metal hanging off the back, the COG was definitely behind the axle. When they slid it off the HiLo, the hitch jumped up enough to lift the back of the car. Strapped it all down and went on my way. Made it home fine.

Pre textural stops are done all the time and if the defense can actually prove it they can get the contraband excluded. It's pretty hard to do and I'm not really against it in most cases if done 'properly'.

 

[hawkeye08]

I tried to aim the headlights on my Silverado to compensate for the weight of my snowsled on back, but there's no adjustment. As for inspection stickers; it would be more effective if they did to everyone what they do to commercial drivers; set up roadside checks which everyone is required to go through. It will never happen though, as people would never put up with the delays.
The town that I grew up in had "routine safety checks" which was simply an excuse to pull a kid over and check him out for no obvious reason. Somebody eventually took it to court and they were ruled illegal.

Don't know what year your Silverado is, but you should be able to adjust them. Easily Adjust Headlights - 2�14 GMC Sierra - YouTube shows 2014 GMC Sierra adjustment...

I plan on figuring out how many turns is needed on mine to handle when I am pulling trailer vs empty and then be able to quickly move between the two settings. I would even put a label next to adjustment hole with instructions so I don't have to remember... just another thing on my long list of want to do..

 

[Oaktree]

We don't have "Safety Inspections" here in MI and I would really like to see some evidence that the inspections in other states a) saves lives, b) reduces accidents, or c) actually makes the hyways safer.

I dunno...I'd like to know that the vehicle coming the other way has working brakes, a front end that doesn't have 3" of slop in it, no holes in the floor that someone could fall thru (let alone allow CO in), etc.

I really could do without the emissions part of the inspection though. When they first instituted it here in N.H. there were only 10 communities that had to comply...Nashua and surrounding towns IIRC. At some point they required it state-wide. I see it primarily as a revenue source for the DMV.

 

[LD48750]

I dunno...I'd like to know that the vehicle coming the other way has working brakes, a front end that doesn't have 3" of slop in it, no holes in the floor that someone could fall thru (let alone allow CO in), etc.

I really could do without the emissions part of the inspection though. When they first instituted it here in N.H. there were only 10 communities that had to comply...Nashua and surrounding towns IIRC. At some point they required it state-wide. I see it primarily as a revenue source for the DMV.

Well..... thats the point, we don't have a problem with any of that here in MI.
Just what does all these inspections accomplish other then cost drivers big money?

 

[Jstpssng]

Well..... thats the point, we don't have a problem with any of that here in MI.
Just what does all these inspections accomplish other then cost drivers big money?

At the very least, once a year people demonstrate that they have working brakes, halfway decent tires, semi solid frame, and their front end isn't about ready to fall apart.
In a perfect world it wouldn't matter, but some people don't have a clue how to keep their vehicle safe; while others just don't care.

 

[Industrial Toys]

People drive vehicles here for ten or even more years without requiring a safety. Maybe emmissions. Which became a joke after they stopped sniffing what was actually coming out the tailpipe.

 

[two_bit_score]

I dunno...I'd like to know that the vehicle coming the other way has working brakes, a front end that doesn't have 3" of slop in it, no holes in the floor that someone could fall thru (let alone allow CO in), etc.

I really could do without the emissions part of the inspection though. When they first instituted it here in N.H. there were only 10 communities that had to comply...Nashua and surrounding towns IIRC. At some point they required it state-wide. I see it primarily as a revenue source for the DMV.

Don’t depend on the MVI to guarantee “the vehicle coming the other way has working brakes, a front end that doesn't have 3" of slop in it, no holes in the floor that someone could fall thru (let alone allow CO in), etc.” unless they just left the inspection station and then only if the inspector didn’t just pass it ‘just because’.

Those are money generators for tickets, just a way to hassle people and provide a side hustle for oil change shops to sell wiper blades, bulbs and mufflers. The inspections are worthless and should be eliminated.



TBS

 

[Industrial Toys]

I remember I once bought a yellow police car for parts identical to the one I drove which had been a brown detective car. I had to get it up to the farm a hundred miles. So I put my plates on it and painted it with brown water based school type paint. Looked like primer.

It had bad floors and an exhaust leak, and I remember we kept nudging the dog sleeping on the back floor to see if it was still alive!

It would have been interesting if we had been stopped.

 

[KennyG]

Based on my experience, I'm skeptical of the value of vehicle inspections. We had truck inspections when I was young in Illinois. It mainly consisted of checking the lights and making sure you had the required flares and emergency reflectors. How many of you feel unsafe without flares and reflectors under the seat of your pickup?

I moved to Virginia and found that vehicle inspections were a business opportunity for the inspecting shops. If you had bad brakes and didn't want to fix them, just find a shop that didn't do brake work. Every place aligned headlights. I had to have my headlights aligned every 6 months the entire time I lived there. If you had your car inspected every day, you would have your headlights re-aligned every day. I haven't needed a headlight alignment since I moved out of the state.

 

[Jstpssng]

Don稚 depend on the MVI to guarantee 甜B]the vehicle coming the other way has working brakes, a front end that doesn't have 3" of slop in it, no holes in the floor that someone could fall thru (let alone allow CO in), etc. [/B] unless they just left the inspection station and then only if the inspector didn稚 just pass it 阻ust because?

Those are money generators for tickets, just a way to hassle people and provide a side hustle for oil change shops to sell wiper blades, bulbs and mufflers. The inspections are worthless and should be eliminated.



TBS

It's not that easy around here, most of the places like that have been closed down. The year that I graduated from HS one of my older brother's classmates put a sticker on a vehicle which he shouldn't have, and the vehicle's brakes failed the next day, causing a fatal accident when he T-boning another vehicle. I believe that he served jail time for manslaughter or a similar charge.

 

[LD48750]

At the very least, once a year people demonstrate that they have working brakes, halfway decent tires, semi solid frame, and their front end isn't about ready to fall apart.
In a perfect world it wouldn't matter, but some people don't have a clue how to keep their vehicle safe; while others just don't care.

And the fact that those people don't get into accidents caused by those terribly unsafe vehicles doesn't matter to you at all.
You STILL insist that they are going to KILL YOU.

Then the fact you are still alive & have never been hit by any of them ..........how does that happen????????


Why don't all the states that don't have these un-necessary inspections don't have more defective equipment accidents then your state?

 

[Code54]

Personally I LIKE that we have a state inspection. I have a great mechanic close by that does ours. He has some good stories of crazy stuff the has seen. I also personally know of people that basically had no brakes but didn't really understand/realize it until it was "found" at inspection. Costs us about $13 bucks and I could care less. A least it helps prevent some unsafe vehicles from being on the same roads as my family.

 

[Jstpssng]

And the fact that those people don't get into accidents caused by those terribly unsafe vehicles doesn't matter to you at all.
You STILL insist that they are going to KILL YOU.

Then the fact you are still alive & have never been hit by any of them ..........how does that happen????????


Why don't all the states that don't have these un-necessary inspections don't have more defective equipment accidents then your state?

Are you sure that they don't?

 

[LD48750]

Are you sure that they don't?

Can you show me they do?

 

[Jstpssng]

I'm not the one who says that they don't. I know of numerous accidents due to mechanical failure, including two which I have cited in this thread. This spring a state trooper was killed while helping a motorist who went off the road; he was struck by a tractor trailer tire and wheel which had come off a passing semi. A local man was seriously injured a couple of years ago when he hit a bump and the frame on his Subaru failed.

A question I've asked before, yet nobody has answered; even though you don't have inspections, are you still required to keep them safe?
If an officer hears metal on metal when you put on the brakes, is he allowed to pull you over and require that you get it fixed? If so, does it happen?