Vehicle inspection procedures will be overhauled to reduce hazardous emissions, said the Department of Environment's monitoring deputy, Mohammad Rastegari. The bylaw for unifying vehicle inspection systems has already been ratified by the cabinet. Unified safety inspection stickers will be issued using fully automated procedures. The measure will reduce chances of violations of regulations governing safety and emissions, Donyaye Khodro reported on Monday. Car owners are required to renew their inspection documents once a year. Public vehicles, like taxis and buses are required to be checked every six months. Currently 14 vehicle inspection centers have been officially registered in Tehran and are equipped with number plate-sensitive cameras. Each center provides services for cars in 40 lanes, medium to heavy weight vehicles in eight lanes, and motorcycles in ten lanes. The new centers are meant to streamline inspection procedures; however critics of the new zones have said vehicle road-worthiness may be compromised due to the number of vehicles going through on an hourly basis.
