[SeeSharp]

You are right though. It was real racket back then. When my college roommate got an inspection at a little shell station, they used a blank sticker and wrote in the month number with a black magic marker. He found a state trooper parked at a convenience store, pulled in next to him, and asked if that was legal. DPS led everyone at that gas station away in handcuffs.

[riverdawg]

“When my college roommate got an inspection at a little shell station, they used a blank sticker and wrote in the month number with a black magic marker”

Virginia had twice-a-year “safety” inspections for decades. Many gas stations had a two-tier system: pay $10 and they would conduct the inspection by the book. Pay $20 and they would slap a sticker on the windshield with no inspection. The blatant corruption of the system, plus several academic studies concluding that inspections did not increase auto safety, led to its welcome demise in the 1980s.

[Charles Martel]

It was real racket back then.

Now the cops will be able to pull up your safety certification info by scanning a barcode on the registration sticker (they can already verify your insurance status that way).

I'd rather have the old racket.

[plsvn]

You are right though. It was real racket back then.

I remember back then the "inspectors" always said your headlights needed adjusting and of course charged you for the "service" before they'd pass your vehicle.