Drive-Through Emissions Tests Rolling To Street Near You

Waiting in line for an emissions test will become a thing of the past for some drivers in Fort Collins and Greeley. See How Emissions Test Work Now all they need to do is drive by a truck equipped with emissions sensors. If they get two "clean" readings from the truck, they will get a card in the mail exempting them from their next scheduled emissions test. Beams of infrared and ultraviolet light emitted from the truck measure car exhaust for hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. A digital photo of the license plate is also taken. "All of this happens in less than a second," said Nancy Reubert, spokeswoman for Environmental Systems Products, an East Granby, Conn., company that is contracted to provide the trucks. Although the program is currently operating only in Weld and Larimer counties, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says that the program could be used in Denver if successful. The roadside emissions check, called RapidScreen, is only the second of its kind in the nation, according to state officials. The first is operating in St. Louis. Not all the glitches have been worked out. Bad weather can interfere with the system, meaning the program was pushed back from its Monday start-date because of a storm. Drivers will get billed $15 for the procedure, and officials say that the test won't cost more than $25 if it comes to Denver. The cost for a conventional inspection is about $24. More Information:

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