Save money: Eliminate emissions tests

As the state legislature considers a change in driving testing for seniors, why not review the current requirement in the metropolitan Chicago area relating to emission control testing of vehicles garaged in these areas.

Consider first, that those vehicles garaged in Cook and DuPage county must oblige to this requirement, yet a neighbor or commuter just outside these county lines and those that may frequent the affected area of Chicago daily, can come and go as they wish, their vehicle never needing to be tested. Also such testing locations can require some distance traveling just to get the vehicle tested. Add to this that there are now more and more electric vehicles on the road.

Additionally, since this testing requirement was first introduced more than a decade ago, newer vehicles have been improved in mileage efficiency, as well as performance and have replaced those older vehicles, in this same period of time.

As this state supposedly is seeking ways of reducing expenses and there is a continued drive toward more use of mass transit, maybe it’s time to consider doing away with this testing and the cost of maintaining these testing sites and at the same time eliminating just one more requirement of the publi, that no longer seems that necessary, as well as reducing one more costly use of taxpayer money.

The legislators need to keep searching for ways to reduce taxpayer spending and this would seem to be another step in that direction.

Charles Kliche

Lombard