May 13, 2013—The California Bureau of Automotive Repair last week set up random smog checkpoints in the Bay Area to test state air quality, according to a report in the Contra Costa Times.
The Contra Costa Times said that while random smog surveys have been conducted since 1985, the program received a financing boost in 2011 that allows two teams of inspectors to go out on a near-daily basis in the northern and southern parts of the state.
The tests are generally set up in urbanized areas with the poorest air quality and ZIP codes with more than 1,000 vehicles.
The voluntary tests take about 10 minutes, are not punitive, and are conducted like a smog check at a service station; technicians check the car’s components and system, indicator lights, ignition timing, gas cap, exhaust recirculation system, and perform a “tailpipe test,” according to the Contra Costa Times.
The Contra Costa Times said that besides increasing the state air quality, the inspections were also created to verify the effectiveness of the state’s smog reduction program and smog stations.