Road safety favors MVIS (3)

Vehicles should pass a stringent 73-point inspection system to be conducted in three stages using equipment that automatically sends the results to the LTO’s system

Before the registration of a motor vehicle can be renewed with the Land Transportation Office (LTO), it has to pass a series of rigorous and automated tests for roadworthiness and compliance with the Clean Air Act.

The designated Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers (MVIC) will conduct the inspection.

Under the new MVIC, Department of Transportation (DoTr) Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope Libiran said vehicles should pass a stringent 73-point inspection system to be conducted in three stages using equipment that automatically sends the results to the LTO’s system.

In the old LTO system, the roadworthiness test is conducted through visual and manual inspections since the equipment is already worn-out and obsolete.

Minimal human intervention

“While the old MVIC rely on manual visual inspection, the new system would use minimal human intervention since these are already automated,” Libiran explained.

She said that in the first stage, the vehicle will be inspected in 66 points — the inside, outside and top of the vehicle are inspected. Tests using automated equipment are six points.

Before the operation of MVIC, vehicles only need to pass a smoke emission test given by a private emission testing center or PETC, she added.

In the second stage of the automated system, the vehicle will be tested for tire alignment, suspension and brakes. The reaction of the speedometer will also be inspected.

In the third stage, meanwhile, the vehicle’s sound level and headlights will likewise be tested.

Unlike in the old MVIC, all vehicles, including those “for hire,” private and those being used by government agencies and by diplomats, may be tested at the new MVIC.

Motorcycles and jeepneys are also subject to inspection.

The government had previously operated a 12-lane MVIC in 1992 at the LTO East Avenue office in Quezon City.

But its testing equipment suffered from a lack of budget for maintenance and calibration and needed spare parts.

In 2007, the MVIC North, located along East Avenue, was rehabilitated with government funds.

“However, in the 2012 Report of the Commission on Audit, it said that the calibration of MVIS testing equipment was not maintained due to a lack of funds,” Libiran said.