AUSTIN – The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Economist Dr. Vance Ginn will testify before the Texas Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. (CST) at E1.016 in the Texas Capitol. Dr. Ginn will focus his remarks on the interim charge recommending ways to compress or otherwise reduce the number of required inspections.
“The safety of Texas drivers is a major concern for legislators and all Texans, which is why the passenger vehicle safety inspection was passed in 1951. However, research shows that there is little evidence that safety inspections improve vehicle maintenance or prevent accidents,” said Dr. Ginn. “The total safety inspection cost of $2.4 billion in the last 10 years through 2014 is burdensome to Texans. Given that it is likely the costs of safety inspections outweigh the minimal benefits to vehicle safety, Texas should join the other 34 states without a passenger vehicle safety inspection.”
Vance Ginn, Ph.D. is an Economist in the Center for Fiscal Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin, Texas.