Nova Scotia MVI - As Seen in "The Chronicle Herald" News Paper

Here is the story on changes to Nova Scotia's Motor Vehicle Inspection process as reported in "The Chronicle Herald" News Paper". Will the changes be a positive change, or will there now be more junk on the roads waiting to fall apart and possibly cause accidents? What is your thoughts on this ? *******************************************************************************

MVIs kicked into reverse Province introduces major car inspections overhaul after Chronicle Herald investigation exposes flaws in system Fri. Feb 27 " border="0"> Mechanic Darren Pelley replaces a ball joint on a customer’s vehicle after performing a motor vehicle inspection at Darrell Hebb’s Auto Repair in Halifax on Thursday. (TIM KROCHAK / Staff) The MacDonald government, under public pressure to switch gears on annual motor vehicle inspections, is redesigning the system. The government has completed its first review of the controversial MVI program since it started 40 years ago, and Service Nova Scotia officials announced key changes Thursday at a news conference in Halifax. Among them: less frequent inspections, second opinions after a failed inspection, the removal of "low-risk" items from the checkup list and more roadside spot checks where a vehicle is examined by government mechanics. The program’s redesign, to be introduced in two stages, on April 1 and June 1, will bring it more into line with national and international standards, the government said. Inspections will still be required when ownership changes and when a vehicle is transferred into the province. The revised regulations don’t just affect consumers. Service stations will lose revenue due to less frequent mandatory inspections. Also, the province is amending its inspection manual and will hold training sessions in April and May for workers staffing about 1,400 inspection stations in Nova Scotia. The Chronicle Herald ran a series of articles over the past couple of years drawing attention to the MVI program’s flaws. The Service Nova Scotia minister said Thursday that the changes to the inspection system were motivated by the public. "The government has heard the concerns of Nova Scotians . . . and the industry, which prompted the redesign," Richard Hurlburt told reporters. He said the revisions were made with public safety in mind. Starting April 1, new passenger vehicles that have had a dealer pre-delivery inspection won’t need an MVI for three years, and then only every two years after that. Large trucks will still require annual inspections. Beginning June 1, the number of low-risk items needing examination by a mechanic will be reduced. These include such things as horns, lights, mirrors and windshield wipers. As well, there will be more roadside checks where police will pull a vehicle — usually an obvious clunker — off the road and mechanics will hoist it up on the spot. The government wants to double the roughly 300 roadside inspections a year that are done now. Also, anyone whose vehicle has previously passed an inspection but now fails can get a second opinion from another mechanic. Mechanic Darrell Hebb, a veteran car repair shop owner in Halifax, said he disagrees strongly with the province’s move to less frequent inspections. "I believe there should be safety inspections every year, including new cars," he said. "If these cars aren’t going to be inspected every year, no one’s going to bring their vehicle in. If they have a noise, they’re just going to hope it goes away." The province announced in December it would re-evaluate mandatory annual safety checks. Drivers and mechanics had complained the MVI system was arbitrary and unfair because many aspects involved judgment calls that varied among service stations. Mechanics also said some outlets were taking advantage of customers by inventing problems that weren’t violations. Two years ago, Nova Scotia beefed up the requirements for its inspections and the price jumped to $25 from $15.50. The government said that during its review of the inspection system, no research could be found linking check-up programs to road safety. But Mr. Hurlburt said vehicle inspections will help keep people’s family members safe and are an important element of the province’s transportation system. Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil applauded the MacDonald Tories for essentially borrowing a Grit policy plank to revise the inspection program. New Democrat MLA Becky Kent said she was disappointed there wasn’t more public consultation before the changes were unveiled.