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It'S No Accident: Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Vehicle Safety Inspections

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  • Alex Hoagland
  • Trevor Woolley

Abstract

An increase in technology means that vehicles are more reliable than in the past. Accordingly, states have begun to discontinue their requirements for vehicle safety inspections. To gauge the effect of such changes, we examine traffic fatality data from 2000 to 2015, with emphasis on New Jersey, which ended safety inspection requirements in 2010. Utilizing a synthetic controls approach, we conclude that ending these requirements did not result in a significant increase in the frequency or intensity of accidents due to car failure, implying that the consumer and government expenditures used for inspections could be reallocated to other areas of travel safety. (JEL R41, Z18, C23)

Suggested Citation

  • Alex Hoagland & Trevor Woolley, 2018. "It'S No Accident: Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Vehicle Safety Inspections," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 36(4), pages 607-628, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:coecpo:v:36:y:2018:i:4:p:607-628
    DOI: 10.1111/coep.12284
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Marc Poitras & Daniel Sutter, 2002. "Policy Ineffectiveness or Offsetting Behavior? An Analysis of Vehicle Safety Inspections," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 68(4), pages 922-934, April.
    5. Alma Cohen & Liran Einav, 2003. "The Effects of Mandatory Seat Belt Laws on Driving Behavior and Traffic Fatalities," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 85(4), pages 828-843, November.
    6. Abadie, Alberto & Diamond, Alexis & Hainmueller, Jens, 2010. "Synthetic Control Methods for Comparative Case Studies: Estimating the Effect of California’s Tobacco Control Program," Journal of the American Statistical Association, American Statistical Association, vol. 105(490), pages 493-505.
    7. King, Gary & Zeng, Langche, 2006. "The Dangers of Extreme Counterfactuals," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(2), pages 131-159, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Juan Pablo Montero-Salgado & Jose Muñoz-Sanz & Blanca Arenas-Ramírez & Cristina Alén-Cordero, 2022. "Identification of the Mechanical Failure Factors with Potential Influencing Road Accidents in Ecuador," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-27, June.
    2. Luis Miguel Martín-delosReyes & Pablo Lardelli-Claret & Laura García-Cuerva & Mario Rivera-Izquierdo & Eladio Jiménez-Mejías & Virginia Martínez-Ruiz, 2021. "Effect of Periodic Vehicle Inspection on Road Crashes and Injuries: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-9, June.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise
    • Z18 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Public Policy
    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models

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