dailu
Wednesday, September 26, 1973
lincoin, nebraska vol. 97 no. 16
UP
Survey reflects inadequacy
of car inspection program
Editor's note: The folio ..tig story was
written as an assignment in the UNL School of
Journalism Depth Reporting class. The author
is a senior from Raymond.
By Debbie Ivey
Congratulations. You just left a service
station where your car passed its yearly safety
check with a quick once-over by an attendant
who then slapped a sticker on your windshield.
You got the sticker, the attendant got his $2,
and you're both happy for another year.
Happy-but authorities recall an incident last
year in which a car sailed through the Nebraska
Periodic Motor Vehicle Inspection (PMVI) with
only a smile from the attendant. A few miles
and a few minutes later the brakes failed and
the car collided with a truck. The motorist
doesn't visit that smiling service station
attendant anymore. She's dead.
Seventeen inspection station attendants in
six Southeast Nebraska cities and towns
recently risked indirectly killing motorists,
because, among other things, they failed to
check brakes during an inspection.
The car-a 1965 Chevy II Nova, supposedly
"in storage for Yh years."
The motorist-me.
The plan-to investigate inspection stations
to determine if the PMVI program is working
according to the regulations established by the
Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles.
The station attendants, representing
independent garages, service 'stations and
automobile dealers, were asked to inspect my
car. During the inspection, only one attendant
drove the car -so he alone knew whether it even
had brakes. But he didn't mention that they
needed adjustment.
A mechanic who knew of my plan and who
inspected the car before the investigation said
both the brakes and the headlights needed
adjustment. He said the car also needed a new
tailpipe and tailpipe bracelet. Any one of these
defects is reason for inspectors to reject the car.
"Barely meeting" inspection requirements
were the two front tires (with a tread depth of
232-inch), the muffler and balljoints. The left
turn signal was not working properly, but it did
meet the standard, and the left parking light
bulb was burned out. None of these could cause
rejection of the car.
Results: All but one of the 17 stations
violated state law by not checking the car in all
11 required areas. Such violations can bring a
$500 fine andor six months in jail.
Despite the defects, four station attendants
affixed a safety inspection approval sticker to
the car. Only two made minor repairs before
doing so. The attendants are subject to the
same penalties.
As a result of the study, John Sullivan, the
director of the Department of Motor Vehicles,
said ho is wondering if Nebraska should join the
10 states that have no inspection program or if
the state should switch to inspections at
state run stations.
Just six months ago, he said, he was
beginning to think the program was nearing
success.
It can't be denied that the program has been
improved in the last year. More men have been
assigned to check inspection stations, training
sessions and public relations films are being
provided for station personnel and the public,
the permits of nine stations not complying with
"the provisions and spirit of the highway safety
effort" have been revoked, and monthly
evaluations are being completed to help
improve the program.
These changes were made after a charge by
the 1972 Legislature either to improve the
program by 1975 or stop it.
Despite these improvements, Sullivan, Glen
Eppens, (administrator of the inspection
program) and Lou Kostka (supervisor of field
operations for inspections and "my father" and
witness during the investigation) all expressed
concern about the program's continuation
because of my survey. They also agreed,
however, that inspections had improved since
1969.
"Two years ago, all 17 would have slapped a
sticker on the windshield," Sullivan said. He
noted that only four passed the car and that
only one of those four could be accused of
"sticker slapping."
It is also true, however, that 16 of the
stations not only broke the law, but unfairly
collected my $2 (since I did not receive the full
inspection) and failed to alert me to danger.
For S2, I received inspections that varied
from three to 20 minutes. But only one of the
17stations did the thorough job required by law.
How serious are these results?
The Motot Vehicles Department apparently
thinks they are quite serious since it contacted
each of the stations after I conducted my
survey. It reprimanded and issued citations to
all but one. And it began revocation
proceedings on the permits of two or three
stations.
Before the results of the investigation could
be reported, the department said it planned to
launch a control program using the same
approach I took, in which Department
personnel will visit every inspection station in
the state.
Is there an explanation for "sticker
slapping" and sloppy inspections?
Several station manager and employes said
they get only $1.75 for each inspection, which
they claim is not enough to merit a thorough
job. Stations in most other states with
inspection programs, however, receive less than
that for inspections. In fact, several receive only
75 cents.
Fear of losing a regular customer by
requiring repairs was another explanation.
Station manaycts also complained that they
know the requirements, but don't have enough
to do the inspections
trained personne
properly.
See Gas stations, Page 2.
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EDYOUR H
The Whole NU Catalog Group Invites
You To Contribute Evaluat ions of The
Exceptional Courses You vc Had.
Whole NU Catalog
to list 'good' courses
Ps,sst! What's a good cuwrz-j to t.;kc r.vconcl semester?
The Whole NU Caaloi, to in; oisiributed Oct. 10, will offei
about 80 answer $ to ti,t rj.justion, according to a group
compiling the i:,t of "'jot" tunra::, the booklet is to include.
In part, the genera! iu-a of the catalog is to bypass the hit
and miss approach students commonly use in selecting courses,
the group said at a meeting Tuesday.
When asked flow the catalog will differ from customary
college bulletin';, which offer lofen descrifitions of courses,
Vernon Willi.-ms' re.liMl, "How i!os night differ from day?"
Williams, a faculty monibM tcxiiu'Cted with the project, is
director of the CmjriM'li;'ig Ci.'n'.r.
Ti,e big difk-iena' i.; th;a Mt.-ilents will, tell fellow students
which ci.iurv", th.y ionr.d v..hi.ihlo, according to Marty
Winkler, a student isieniker of ;!u: gioup.
"We hep.; stm'-.-ntu It.tv:: l..J censes they feel are really
worth rtH.ommendni;," VVirif I i said.
The format of f.h:: i,.:t ivj. bo.-rowed from the Whole
!i. C i !...'.:, vv!-.;.:.h (h 1 1'' .:!f;i hue life styles. Although
the catalog title lii.iu the-; turn NU, only UNL courses are
to be li'.te;!.
Students am describe courses they found worthwhile on
forms attached to yH!t,w and brown posters, which were
tacked up tod;-- .u.-J ;n..; ii.-.adlined "Ffted Your Head." The
recommJidat!u.-.i ,u.; in b.!. photographed and reproduced in
their entirety, mis' hki all. f or this reason, respondents
are ask.ii u an '.Iti'liic typewriter to type
recommendations c ; i pont litem in bbek ink.
1 ,t. C;t 10 I t ! lit- lor lii-J.i ihuiion of the catalogs
,:, relates wiih ;. i :.eme-,!ri i i:gi:.ti ation beginning Oct. 17.
About 10,000 (.oi"" ol !i:a e'Kjht page tabloid are to be
printed, and the .
(.! lough i (;sponse to list at
least. 80 couise i ecu. ; aiu-! r k .: r, II moie than dO listings are
received, the group plans 1o expand the booklet. If space
permits, duplicate desei iptiuns will be printed.
Names of persons ofleong couisi; infoimation will not be
included on 1 1 1 rc-prodnf a-rj n (.. atani.-ndations.
The group indie, tied the in.jjor uhstacle it now faces is time.
If the projected diMi ibuli'in dale is to be met,
recommendations must h. submitted by next Wednesday.
Dropoff boxes at e to be placed around the Nebraska Union
and in the Daily Ncbraskau olh c Union CM. Respondents also
can mail the information to the Center lor Fducational Change
(CEC) office1, Union 338.
About $200 is budgeted for the project. Vince Boucher,
CEC co-chairperson, said CF.C would pay as much as $100 for
the project. CEC is a subcommittee of ASUIM Vernon Williams
said the Teaching and Learning Center would pick up the rest
of the tab.
The idea for the caiaiog was o"; of several spawned during
a session of last : print's VVild 'io.-ss Workshop, in which a
of faculty and students br canst- i nv.d m an atte-ng)t. to im)rove
teaching in the' Colic .; ef Arts . nd r'a.iei ices.
,iu !..ut member of the group
b : leaje, tin; (.alalog will be
Doug I'.ll :n Kjl !;! !,
compilnaj tiie c-iS-ao
pdaled in coming ye" " ";i"d I " 5 cane1 Cei oiKioing thing."
'.omgM;:i a! .o M-.r.-.-d the
vv!n 'e rcgistoilx n n iii i -a!-i
recess. i: V
.1 II
x (., ! :'s voum oe oe.u iinnca
,i . . H ed "and by hand if
