The News & Observer and Charlotte Observer acquired an N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles database of 23.5 million auto inspections from Jan. 1, 2008, to March 11, 2011. The data includes information on the vehicle (such as make, year and VIN number), information on the inspector (such as station name and address) and information on the inspection (such as if the vehicle failed and the reason it failed).
Each dot on the map represents an inspection station in Wake, Durham, Orange and Johnston counties. Click on a dot to see the station's passing rate and other information.
We grouped and counted the number of passed and failed inspections by county and station and used those figures to determine a passing rate. Safety inspections were separated from emissions inspections.
Stations are supposed to record when a correction is made. However, most stations correct the problem and then pass the vehicle, without recording the correction in the database. Statewide, 3 percent of vehicles fail while another 7 percent are marked as corrected, most of which then go on to pass.
Almost all corrections made by a station are marked as passed on an inspection.
