Sen. Marty Flynn, D-Scranton, is pictured looking at a map of electric vehicle charging stations earlier this month.

Sen. Marty Flynn is also proposing an end to yearly vehicle safety inspections.

Flynn cites a 2015 Government Accountability Office report finding the value of state vehicle safety inspections was hard to quantify and their impact on reducing vehicle crash rates is hard to predict. Flynn also said vehicle inspection fees aren’t helping the state Motor License Fund because the only money sent to PennDOT from the auto repair facility and vehicle owner is the cost of the inspection sticker.

“Put simply, vehicle safety inspection mandates do not equate to safer roadways,” Flynn, D-Scranton, wrote in his co-sponsorship memorandum. “They are an inconvenience to vehicle owners and their wallets.”

Flynn wants to change the requirement of vehicle inspections from an annual requirement to one only required when a vehicle is sold or the title is transferred. Vehicle owners would save $30 a year. The legsilation is also expected to include new consumer protections to ensure that used vehicles are roadworthy prior to purchase while also creating a new $15 fee on the cost of the annual vehicle registrations. The new fee is expected to generate at least an additional $120 million into the Motor License Fund annually but would still result in a net savings to the vehicle owner.

Emissions testing would not change and would still be required under current EPA guidelines.

“Pennsylvania is quite literally the birthplace of vehicle safety inspections, with the nation’s first statute dating back to 1929,” Flynn wrote. “Despite all of the advances made in the past near century, we are one of only 14 states that still require annual vehicle safety inspections.”

There is actually one fewer state still performing inspections than Flynn knew. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a similar bill into law earlier this year after its passage in the Texas Legislature. Vehicle inspections will end in 2025 and be replaced by an annual $7.50 fee.