Jalisco’s underachieving vehicle emissions inspection program is set for a revamp this year, with state environmental authorities studying the possibility of resurrecting dedicated “smog check” stations to either supplement or replace many of the repair shops authorized to carry out the tests and issue stickers.
Operated by Jalisco’s Environmental Secretariat (Semadet), the Programa de Control de Emisiones has been plagued with problems since it was set up in 2007.
Although nearly 800 dealerships, repair shops and garages were eventually accredited in the program it had turned into an unmanageable beast by 2012. The main issue for authorities was the widespread corruption and fraud, with some repair shops clearly employing substandard testing equipment, while others operated black market schemes in stickers and overcharged car owners for the service.
A recent purge has left the program with only 357 businesses able to carry out the checks. Another 158 are either “under suspension” or awaiting “reaccreditation.” Some of these repair shop owners are furious after having invested significant sums in equipment that was later determined to be subpar.
Another problem for authorities is the public antipathy toward emissions inspections.
Only one in four car owners in Jalisco bothered to get a smog check last year and authorities seem to lack the will – or manpower – to follow up the program with vigorous sanctions. (The fine for not having a current sticker is 1,100 pesos, although if stopped by a transit officer for this offense, car owners are given a window of 20 days to get their vehicles checked and avoid paying the fine.) Of the three million cars circulating in Jalisco, only 792,202 carry valid inspection stickers, according to Semadet estimates.
Authorities have also balked at implementing the obvious solution of linking payment of annual car taxes to having a current inspection sticker.
Under the program, all owners of Mexican-plated cars in Jalisco are obliged to take their vehicles for testing once a year to any of the accredited businesses. Although Semadet publishes a “calendar” for checks in certain months according to license plate endings, this system is rarely followed to the letter and checks can be done at any time of the year. Foreign-plated and out-of-state vehicles do not require checking but owners can face fines if their cars are seen to be contaminating visibly.
The recent purge – combined with some businesses dropping out of the program – means many regions of Jalisco are now without accredited check points. Although the metro area Guadalajara is well represented, only one business in Chapala is licensed to carry out the tests and issue stickers (Taller Mecanico Elfega Alvarez Vázquez, Zaragoza 375, 1344-9373 and 3820-2212). Most car owners outside Guadalajara see no point in getting their vehicles tested unless they visit the state capital on a regular basis. And local traffic officials in the provinces rarely ticket drivers for not displaying a valid emissions inspection sticker, unless the vehicle’s exhaust is bellowing smoke. (Under Jalisco traffic law, this offense can result in cars being towed.)
Cost is another factor that puts off drivers from getting a check. Workshops can charge up to 250 pesos for the emissions test, but many repair shops will throw in the service free of charge if they carry out a full tune-up on a vehicle at the same time.
The reevaluation process of the program is expected to take several months and seek the opinions of experts in the field. Input from other Mexican states that have introduced more successful programs will be solicited, including Mexico City.
The need to improve the program is urgent, environmentalists say. According to one report, 87 percent of air contamination in Guadalajara is caused by pollutants from vehicle emissions. Another alarming statistic is that Guadalajara is now the second most contaminated city in Latin America, after Lima, Peru.
For a list of dealerships, repair shops and garages accredited to carry out emissions tests in Jalisco go to http://siga.jalisco.gob.mx/ramag/listadotalleres.htm.