An application for an initiative requiring mandatory annual safety inspections for every vehicle registered in Arizona has been filed with the Secretary of State’s Office.
The application, filed Dec. 1 by Public Safety 101, seeks to “assure compliance with all vehicle safety laws.”
The group’s chairman, Bill “Broom” Hall, said his application was filed to deal with “typically unsafe drivers” like “gangster-types” with low-riders and owners of “massive vehicles that drive in an imposing manner.”
“People are running around town with their wheels sticking out of their wheel wells, flinging dirt and mud all over us,” said Mr. Hall, a retired security officer, referring to owners of low-rider cars with custom rims. He said that the police are “overwhelmed or disinterested in auto safety issues.”
Hopes to get party help
Mr. Hall said that he will ask Democratic and Republican party officials to help supply volunteers to collect the necessary 122,612 valid signatures of registered Arizona voters by July 6 to get the initiative on the 2006 ballot, but that he does not rule out resorting to paid signature collectors.
He also expects some opposition from people who will view his proposed ballot measure as discriminating against the poor and off-road driving enthusiasts.
Seth Scott, a spokesman for the Arizona Democratic Party, said, “The Democratic Party has not endorsed this initiative and we are not organizing Democratic volunteers to work on its behalf.”
According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, in 2003, there were 130,895 total car accidents in Arizona. About 45,177 of those resulted in injuries. During the same period, there were 971 car accidents with at least one fatality.