There's a roadside team in the Sacramento area working hard to improve air quality.
Most drivers are likely familiar with DUI checkpoints but 'smog checkpoints', officially called roadside inspections, aren't as common.
The Roadside Inspection Program is part of the Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR), the agency responsible for enforcing the California Smog Check Program.
Roadside inspections are set up similar to DUI checkpoints with the assistance of a California Highway Patrol officer.
"We have a roadside team," said Michael Lafferty, statewide manager for the roadside program. "There are four in the state. One is in Sacramento."
Drivers are stopped by the CHP officer and asked to participate in the voluntary program. Drivers won't be penalized for refusing to participate and the results of the inspection won't affect the consumer regardless of the outcome.
"The goal is to collect data to improve the smog check program," Lafferty said.
Sacramento is an area in the state which doesn't meet federal air quality standards, according Lafferty. The roadside team sets up in different locations and works most days of the year.
"We identify zip codes which don't meet the air quality standards and pick sites," Lafferty said.
A roadside inspection typically takes less than ten minutes and BAR representatives are there to explain the process to drivers and answer any questions.
Roadside inspections are not substitutes for a vehicle's official Smog Check inspection report. The information collected is simply there for the BAR to see how the Smog Check Program is doing.
"We're self-policing our program," Lafferty said.
However, most California drivers likely haven't been through a smog checkpoint.
Lafferty explained, the BAR only checks about 10,000 vehicles a year. With 25 million vehicles in the state, drivers probably won't see the checkpoints often, if ever.
