ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s a bird, it's a plane...nope, just someone with a horrible exhaust system. If you have lived anywhere else in the country and find yourself now living here in Florida, you may have noticed you have never had to have your vehicle inspected for emissions.
In this week's "Ask Trooper Steve," Juan, of Viera, asked, “Does Florida have an emissions inspections law?”
[ASK TROOPER STEVE: Submit your questions here]
Florida Law 316.2935 covers air pollution control equipment, commonly known as your vehicle's exhaust.
"Although there are no annual inspections for vehicles in Florida, this law allows authorities to do their best at combating vehicles that really shouldn’t be on the road," News 6 Traffic Safety Expert Steve Montiero said.
[RELATED: Stuck at a green light? Stopping traffic to switch lanes is illegal | Are dashboard and rearview mirror decorations illegal?]
Part of the law speaks about both diesel- and gasoline-powered cars. It references how no person shall operate a gasoline- or diesel-powered motor vehicle on public roads and streets of this state with visible emissions from the exhaust pipe for more than a continuous period of five seconds. No person shall operate on the public roads or streets of this state any motor vehicle that has been tampered with in violation of this section.
"Look, we have all seen that car driving down the road with a wall of smoke trailing behind it. Don’t be that car," Montiero said. "This could cost you a moving violation and points on your driver's license. Also, a lack of friends in your car may be the first sign it's time to fix your exhaust."