ILLINOIS VEHICLE INSPECTION
AND MAINTENANCE PROGRAM

By JOHN W. McCREE
Illinois Department of Transportation

The Illinois Inspection and Maintenance (I&M) Program requires the testing of vehicles to determine the amount of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon pollution being emitted from the tailpipe. Certain corrections must be made to the vehicles (principally automobiles) which are emitting excessive pollution. Vehicles registered in Cook County and portions of DuPage, Lake, Madison and St. Clair Counties are affected. This Program is the result of a national effort to provide cleaner air in the country's major metropolitan areas and is mandated under the federal Clean Air Act. Illinois is required to continue the inspection program until 1991 to ensure compliance. Failure to enact I&M would have resulted in the loss of approximately $120 million of federal highway funds to the state in the current fiscal year.

The federal Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) of 1977 required all states to implement measures to reduce air pollution in air quality control regions (urban areas). The final deadline for achieving the National Ambient Air Quality Standards is 1987. During that ten-year interval, various transportation control measures have been applied nationally. Some areas have not been successful in reducing pollution to the necessary levels. As a result, it was mandated by Congress that, in those areas which did not meet air quality standards by 1982, vehicles must be inspected annually to determine which ones require pollution-controlling maintenance. This is basically an enforcement strategy to require vehicles in the affected areas to comply with Title II, Emission Standards for Moving Sources of the CAAA of 1977.

The Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program addresses the problem of urban air pollution by requiring actions that will reduce five of the seven critical pollutants listed by the Environmental Protection Agency. The five are lead, carbon monoxide, ozone, oxides of nitrogen, and hydrocarbons. The other two pollutants, sulfur dioxide and particulates, are not associated with vehicles.

The annual Program cost is estimated at $14-$16 million, or approximately $5 per vehicle, and is paid from Motor Fuel Tax revenue. The State's share of the Inspection and Maintenance Program is 35 percent and the local share is 65 percent. This expenditure does reduce available funding for road improvements, but paying it prevents the federal government from withholding $120 million of highway funds. The cost of reducing vehicle emissions can be better appreciated by comparing the costs of removing industrial pollutants versus vehicle pollutants. The expense of removing one ton of industrial pollutants is two to five times more expensive than removing one ton of vehicle pollutants ($5,000-$15,000/ton compared to $3,000/ton). Therefore, the same dollar provides two to five times more improvement to air quality when applied to vehicle emissions.

The U.S. EPA estimates that a well-operated I&M Program can result in fuel savings of 3% to 5% for vehicles of all model years from 1968-1980, and newer model vehicles could achieve fuel savings of as much as 10% to 20%. The value of the Program depends largely on the quality of the inspections and any followup maintenance. Illinois inspections will be conducted under the close supervision of the State.

Vehicle testing began on May 1, 1986 at thirteen contractor-operated stations. When the Program is fully operational, there will be fifteen testing stations in the Chicago area and three testing stations in the E. St. Louis area. Vehicle owners may select the station of their choice. An inspection station should be within twelve miles of the vehicle owner's home and the waiting time before inspection should be fifteen minutes or less. The inspection requires about 21/2 minutes and is without charge to the vehicle owner. Vehicles exempt from testing include motorcycles, farm vehicles, vehicles of model year 1967 or before, and diesel powered vehicles.

Vehicles built since 1968 will have to comply with various standards, depending on their year of manufacture. If the required pollution control equipment is operating properly and a vehicle fails due to other reasons, then the vehicle will be issued a waiver for that year and the owner is not subject to penalty. If the pollution control equipment is not operating properly, it must be repaired. In many cases, the cost of an emissions repair may be covered by the manufacturer's 5

August 1986 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 19

year/50,000 mile warranty on emission controls in later model vehicles.

The first full month of testing was May, 1986. Approximately 44,000 vehicles were tested, of which 6,600 vehicles failed. About half of the 90,000 motorists who received notices arrived with vehicles to be tested. Only one-third of those vehicles that failed returned for a recheck, indicating that some persons are waiting to see what action will be taken by the State. A computer will match registration records and inspection records to identify vehicle owners not complying with the law. These persons will be sent two notices advising them of the consequences of violating the law. A vehicle owner who refuses to comply will have his driver's license and/or vehicle registration suspended within two months of the scheduled inspection (or within two months of the sticker expiration date). Without a valid inspection sticker displayed on his vehicle, the owner is subject to being fined. A fine of not less than $50 may be imposed on any vehicle owner who has not received a valid inspection sticker or waiver within 60 days of the required date. After more than 60 days, the fine is increased to not less than $300.

It is still too early to know how well the Program will function during the testing of all 2.5 million vehicles in the affected areas. Vehicle owner compliance is anticipated to attain a 95% rate once the Program is accepted. The Program is off to a good start without major problems.

Here in Illinois, we are doing our share to improve air quality for our cities and people. At the same time, the I&M Program benefits vehicle owners with better fuel economy and longer engine life. Expansion of our major urban areas can continue while we all enjoy cleaner and fresher air.

Page 20 / Illinois Municipal Review / August 1986