Skip the emission testing lines: What you need to know about RapidScreen

DENVER - It's an annual ritual most Coloradans would rather avoid -- the long lines and wasted time to get a vehicle emissions test.

CALL7 Investigator John Ferrugia received calls and complaints about the process, and found out there's a much simpler way.

The program is called "RapidScreen." The vans, equipped with sensors, are a familiar sight along the side of Colorado roads. If your car is in good shape, you just need to do drive by one of those vans a couple of times, and you can skip the yearly trip to a testing facility.

It will save you time, but it won't save you money.

"It is still the same fee across the board; $25 for a test or Rapid Screen," said Renee Allen, Envirotest Air Care Colorado spokesperson.

You can check the agency website to find out where the sensors are parked for the current week and next week.

And there are a few tricks to getting a proper reading.

"Maybe your license plate is obstructed," Allen said. "You want to make sure that it's not obstructed. It's possible you could have driven by too quickly if you're speeding a little bit."

You also need to complete your drive-bys two months before your registration is due.

And you must have two clean readings back-to-back -- from either two different sensors on the same day, or the same sensor on two different days.

"Let's say you drove by four times and every time it was clean, and the fifth time you drove by, for whatever reason, obstructed license plate, too fast, whatever, it didn't read as clean. Then you would have to start that process over again," said Allen.