Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a bill earlier this month that aims to help the Washington State Patrol work through its backlog of vehicle inspections.
Senate Bill 5462, which is sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, was passed by the state Legislature.
It attempts to ease the workload falling on the shoulders of the Washington State Patrol by exempting all-terrain vehicles and utility vehicles from most vehicle identification number (VIN) inspection requirements.
According to the Washington State Patrol website, the department is currently understaffed, which has led to limited inspection appointment availability.
“We are working diligently to fill these positions so we can provide the service expected of our customers,” reads a statement on the Washington State Patrol website. “We apologize for these delays and ask that you continue to check back weekly for available appointments.”
The scarcity of appointments has caused widespread frustration. Social media pages now feature some users who have already been through the process providing detailed guides to others on how to snap up appointments as soon as they are made available to the public.
Some Washingtonians have even begun booking extra appointments to sell on social media or other online marketplaces with loose regulations.
The Washington State Patrol website addresses these reports directly, trying to dissuade the practice. To address the issue, the department has begun limiting Washingtonians to booking just one vehicle identification number inspection appointment per week.
“We have also been informed that individuals are obtaining multiple appointments and placing these for sale on various social media sites,” reads the Washington State Patrol website. “As a reminder, purchasing an appointment is a violation of our terms and conditions and may result in a cancellation. Individuals identified as selling appointments will have their scheduling account blocked.”
Vehicle identification numbers are used to track vehicles and verify their history and ownership. The process known as VIN inspection is performed on cars that have been rebuilt after having been destroyed or declared a total loss by an insurance company, homemade vehicles, vehicles reported stolen and any special vehicles that may not have a vehicle identification number.
