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BAR explains roadside emissions survey process, confidentiality and uses of data
Summary
BAR described its roadside emissions survey program, which collects voluntary OIS data with CHP assistance to evaluate program performance and support state reports required by federal and state law.
BAR auditors described the bureau’s roadside emissions survey program and how the bureau collects voluntary OIS data with California Highway Patrol assistance to evaluate smog‑check performance.
Gary Goodwin of BAR’s Audits and Inspection Branch explained survey operations to the advisory group: teams of two to four BAR representatives and a CHP officer perform short OIS tests at selected sites across the Central Valley, Bay Area, Greater Los Angeles, Inland Empire and San Diego. The bureau emphasized participation is voluntary and said it does not collect personal identifying information for public release; VINs and other potentially identifying fields are handled carefully and redacted from public datasets unless a researcher has explicit authorization.
Why it matters: the survey is BAR’s legislatively mandated tool to assess smog‑check effectiveness and support the Smog Check Performance Report and related U.S. EPA reporting. Survey results help BAR and its engineering branch analyze program performance, including differences between roadside OIS results and shop inspections and whether readiness monitors or pre‑inspection repairs affect outcomes.
Process and consumer experience: BAR staff greet motorists, explain the survey, pull OIS data (no BAR‑97 roadside testing), and provide a Vehicle Inspection Report (VIR) to participants; there is no pass/fail certificate issued and no enforcement action tied to the roadside data. Staff said roadside testing reduces time on site and that attendees receive notifications about safety recalls or obvious safety issues if found. Refusal rates varied (staff estimated 30–40% after discontinuing ASM tests) and BAR uses statistical analysis to check for bias between vehicles that participate and those that refuse.
Ending: BAR said it conducts roughly 10,000 roadside surveys annually and coordinates site permitting and traffic control with local jurisdictions in advance; the bureau invited members to ask questions about methods and to request aggregate data for research or planning.
