Compared to other states I've lived in, driving a car in Nashville is actually pretty reasonable. Our tag and tax isn't super expensive, and insurance rates are pretty decent. But I think we can all agree that emissions testing has been a pain in our butts for way too long.
It's not that it's expensive. It's just that it's inconvenient. Get your registration, take it to these testing sites that are never in convenient areas, and then wait in line for 20 minutes or more so that someone can plug something in to your car to make sure you're not driving a vehicle that's singlehandedly destroying the O-Zone layer.
Well, Williamson County and other surrounding areas ended that annoying emissions testing process last year, and now it looks like Davidson County will as well.
In a vote on Tuesday night, Metro Council is expected to vote to end vehicle emissions inspection requirements. The EPA has already green lit the end of the testing, which has been a requirement since 1984. But the number of failed emissions tests has fallen below 8% in 2020, and staffing has been a challenge at testing sites for years.
Most counties will end their emissions testing on January 14th. It's still too early to tell when Davidson County would discontinue the process.