State Crews Perform Roadside Emissions Checks

Workers from the California Department of Consumer Affairs’ Bureau of Automotive Repair performed emissions checks last Wednesday, July 24, on Barton Road just across from City Hall. The free checks are part of a statewide survey aimed at providing extra protection for residents, according to Don Dowdy, program representative. “This is consumer protection,” he stated on site last week. “We’re here to help people out on the road; we’re letting them know if their cars are likely to pass smog.” Dowdy and his team of two were out performing the checks throughout the day, from 8 a.m. into the mid-afternoon. The area was blocked off by orange traffic cones, and cars were selected at random by a California Highway Patrol Officer. The emissions tests are voluntary, Dowdy shared. Drivers were asked by the crew if they would like to spend a few minutes—less than 10 for the test to run, said Dowdy—getting their vehicles tested. Drivers who agreed were then chosen again at random by a computer program, which ran a database of various cars and picked and chose potential test vehicles based on the amount of data gathered about a particular vehicle make and model, said Dowdy. The tests only measured emissions coming from the tailpipes—no full smog test was done, he noted. “This is not a smog test. We’re not popping the hoods and going into the car. We’re just testing the emissions coming out of the tailpipes, and we’re letting people know the status of their car.” Crews also answered questions drivers had regarding the smog process, Dowdy shared. Printed summaries of their tests were given to each participating driver following the tests, and drivers were also given information on how they could qualify for state funds: drivers could qualify for $500 for emissions repairs or $1,500 for retiring their vehicles. “When a vehicle is retired, not one piece of it goes back on the road,” said Dowdy. “Every part is recycled.” Information gathered at the checks was also entered into the computer system, helping generate statistics for the state. The previous Monday, crews from the Bureau of Automotive Repair were also out testing cars in Redlands on Barton Road near Terracina Boulevard.