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State vehicle safety inspections check to make sure turn signals work. So what? No one uses them anymore.

The Program Evaluation Division of the state legislature thinks the rest of the safety inspection is just as useless. In a report to a legislative oversight committee last week, it concluded "no evidence exists" showing the program is effective. It recommended the state consider dropping the requirement.

It offered similar findings about emissions tests for vehicles less than four years old.

This is commendable work by the legislature, demonstrating accountability to the public. Vehicle owners collectively pay $140 million a year for inspections, and they deserve to know whether it's money well-spent.

The Program Evaluation Division makes its answer clear.

"Nearly three decades of research has failed to conclusively show that mechanical defects are a significant cause of motor vehicle accidents or that safety inspections significantly reduce accident rates," it reported.

It noted improving air quality in North Carolina but said it can't determine whether vehicle emissions tests contribute. Failure rates for newer vehicles are well below 1 percent.

The legislature could act on these findings by scaling back inspection programs. That might please vehicle owners, who would be relieved of the cost and the bother. But it won't happen without a fight from the regulatory agencies. Certainly, any proposed changes require a full debate that looks objectively at important issues.

Division of Air Quality Director Keith Overcash raised noteworthy concerns. While ozone levels across the state have improved, he said, the federal Environmental Protection Agency tightened standards earlier this year, which means more areas of the state won't attain compliance. While failure rates for new cars are low, Overcash conceded, the aggregate number is significant enough to impact air quality. Requiring fewer emissions tests won't reduce pollution, he said.

Division of Motor Vehicles Commissioner William Gore's response was less convincing, revealing an ulterior motive for continuing vehicle inspections.

Gore pointed out a proposal by the state's 21st Century Transportation Committee for implementing a vehicle mileage tax. The annual inspection provides the best opportunity for the state to verify how many miles the vehicle logged over 12 months and how much tax the owner would have to pay.

That has nothing to do with safety and shouldn't have any bearing on the future of the inspection program.

The state has a responsibility to limit air pollution emitted by motor vehicles and should continue programs that are proved to be effective, or else devise better ones. The same with safety.

Inspection programs are like turn signals: They're good in theory but an unnecessary appendage unless used for the intended purpose.