Georgia D.O.T. Not So Peachy

In yet another story of government gone terribly wrong, it was reported yesterday, that Georgia's DOT forces hybrid car owners to take emissions tests despite the fact that their testing centers aren't equipped to properly test hybrids.

Perfect.

Because the law is poorly written (probably before hybrids), DOT officials must test every car. When a Georgia resident pulls up in his or her new Prius, the local DOT actually performs what they call an "aborted test", since a) they must test and b) they can't test because the Prius doesn't idle long enough using it's gas engine before switching to electric, hence no emissions! They then follow-up the aborted test with a manually issued "waiver".

If the goal of the emissions testing program is cleaner air, they've gone horribly wrong. I fear that the tests remain mandatory because the original goal of the program has long since been obscured by the revenue the program generates ($25 per car).

Here's a wild idea; Why not give hybrid owners a break and exempt them from the testing and then raise the fees for those folks who continue to drive gasoline powered vehicles? Perhaps you could change a practice that is the source of ridicule. and turn it into a program that would help "drive" the right behaviour (pun intended) AND generate a few more bucks for your treasury.

Makes one wonder how many other government processes are broken. I shudder to think..