They look like DUI checkpoints, but in this case it's the vehicles being targeted instead of the drivers.
Workers from the California Bureau of Automotive Repair have been conducting the roadside surveys in Fresno since Monday. Like a checkpoint, the vehicles are selected at random but participation is voluntary.
Staff from the BAR said data from the roadside inspections will be used to evaluate the state's emissions reduction program. They aren't asking for driver's licenses or registration and regardless of how vehicles perform, there are no consequences.
"It just tests the effectiveness of the program... to see the Smog shops' effectiveness of repairs. We check the vehicles on the road and compare them with what the smog shops are getting," said Eric Debarruel, a program representative from the BAR.
The entire process takes about ten minutes and drivers are given a printout with how their vehicles performed. It doesn't replace a Smog check inspection.
