Texas takes the safety of motorists on the state’s roadways seriously, including regulating basic vehicle safety requirements. Under a new bill in 2025, Texans saw changes to the state’s Vehicle Safety Inspection Program beginning in January. The inspection requirement previously mandated annual checks of private and commercial vehicle safety components such as brakes, steering, lights, turn signals, seatbelts, and tires. With the help of a truck accident attorney, you can file a claim to recover for compensation due to negligence.
Under House Bill 3297, most Texas drivers no longer have to undergo annual inspections on their non-commercial vehicles, such as standard family cars, trucks, and SUVs.
What Is House Bill 3297?
In 2023, the Texas legislature passed House Bill 3297, which was signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The law took effect on January 1st, 2025, abolishing the state’s previous requirements for routine annual vehicle inspections on all private vehicles as well as commercial ones. The bill states the following:
“A Bill To Be Entitled an Act relating to the elimination of regular mandatory vehicle safety inspections for noncommercial vehicles and the imposition of replacement fees.”
The law includes a revenue replacement measure charging vehicle owners an annual fee of $7.50 or $16.75 for a newly registered vehicle covering two years of fees. The fee replaces the previous revenue source generated by routine annual inspections, with the revenue continuing to fund necessary state highway expansion and road construction.
Commercial Vehicles Must Still Undergo Safety Inspections
Commercial vehicles, such as freight carriers, box trucks, garbage trucks, passenger buses, and utility vehicles, must still undergo annual inspections of all safety-related vehicle components to ensure that they are roadworthy, well-maintained, and safe to share the roadways with smaller vehicles. Commercial vehicle owners do not have to pay the replacement revenue fee since they must still pay the cost of the annual inspection.
Exceptions to the Abolished Texas Safety Inspection Requirement
Some Texas counties require yearly emissions inspections. Vehicles registered in the following counties must still undergo the annual emissions portion of the vehicle inspection tests:
- Brazoria
- Collin
- Dallas
- Denton
- Ellis
- Ell Paso
- Fort Bend
- Galveston
- Harris
- Johnson
- Kaufman
- Montgomery
- Parker
- Rockwall
- Tarrant
- Travis
- Williamson
In the above counties, an annual emissions inspection remains mandatory for all gasoline-powered non-commercial and commercial vehicles between two and 24 years old.
Liability for Vehicle Maintenance Failures
It’s important to note that driving a poorly maintained vehicle with inadequate repairs to critical safety components such as brakes, tires, turn signals, horns, and mirrors leaves the driver liable for damages if the poor maintenance causes an auto accident. For instance, if a driver continues to drive a car despite warning indicators of worn-out brakes and then brake failure causes them to collide with another vehicle at an intersection, they are liable for the damages to others. Common car accident damages include property damage costs, medical expenses, lost earnings, and compensation for the injury victim’s pain and suffering. For wrongful death claims, speak to an experienced personal injury attorney in Baytown for legal assistance.
If a car owner brings their vehicle into a service center for repairs on a major safety component and the repair fails, the repair company may be held liable for damages due to the faulty or negligent repair job.
How Can a Texas Car Accident Lawyer Help?
The change in Texas vehicle inspection requirements may result in poorly maintained vehicles on the road. If you suffered serious injuries in a Texas car accident and suspect that another driver’s poor vehicle maintenance caused the accident, reach out to the experienced car accident lawyers at Linebaugh, Dority & Associates, LLP for experienced legal representation.