I/M For Dummies

This week, the Anchorage Assembly voted to keep the municipal Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program, more commonly referred to as I/M. This made a lot of people in Anchorage pretty mad. Apparently $60 every two years is a real problem for some people. While I agree that I/M compliance can be kind of a hassle, I’m still glad the Assembly decided to keep the program, although many of my friends don’t necessarily agree. In my social group, I’ve noticed that a lot of anti-I/M sentiment comes from a lack of understanding of the benefits of the program. In the interest of the public’s edification, I’ve put together this short presentation to explain why the I/M program is worth maintaining. (And if there are any NIH bigwigs out there reading, I’m willing to take this show on the road. Let’s talk no-strings-attached grant money.)

OTS Presents
I/M: A Primer

Anchorage is in a bowl.

No, not that kind of bowl. The mountains around the city form a “bowl” shape that traps pollutants, like car emissions, and keeps them from dissipating rapidly.

Yeah, like that. Now, in that bowl there are a lot of cars. Cars produce exhaust, which is dirty.

Some cars are dirtier than others.

When I was a kid, Anchorage used to have terrible air. Air quality advisories were not uncommon.

In fact, in the 1980s Sleepover Friends series, book #9, No More Sleepovers, Patti?, air quality is the reason Patti’s parents decide not to move to Alaska. Too much smog, they said.

That’s not good for anyone.

After the I/M program was implemented, air quality began to get better in Anchorage. A lot better. So much better, in fact, that not too long ago, some people decided that the I/M program had done its job and could be let go.

If the I/M program were discontinued, it would save everyone about sixty bucks every other year. And what with gas prices and the state of the economy, sixty bucks is nothing to sneeze at.

On the other hand…

Some people say the I/M program just costs everyone a lot of money. And if you have to get repairs on your car, it probably does. But here’s the thing. Even new, healthy cars can be sick. Just like people. Every year, you go to the doctor for a checkup. Even if you feel great. You do it to make sure you’re healthy and everything’s working okay. That costs money, but you do it because it’s the right thing to do.

It’s a question of responsibility. If you have a dog and the dog bites someone, you’re responsible.

If you crash your car into another car, you’re responsible.

If you spill a whole bunch of oil in the ocean and ruin a lot of people’s livelihoods, you’re responsible.

So if you want to own a car, you should be responsible for making sure your car isn’t wrecking the air any more than absolutely necessary.

That’s just logic, people.

Of course, if you don’t want to be bothered with I/M testing, you could always take the bus.

Oops! Sorry, forgot — this is Anchorage.