Hotline aims to cut smog

Tuesday, May 14, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

The state is putting the heat on owners of vehicles with belching exhausts.

Motorists stuck behind spewing tailpipes can call the new smog hotline at 486-4582 or make a free call from a cellular phone by dialing *SMOG, said Claudia Collins of the state Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety.

The DMV will contact the vehicle's owner, who is responsible for repairing the smog-causing problems within 10 days.

Another call on the same vehicle brings a second, certified letter that requires the owner to bring the vehicle to the DMV emissions control lab at 2701 E. Sahara Ave. for a smog test.

If the owner fails to respond within 30 days, the vehicle registration can be suspended. "We can take their car registration away now," Collins said.

Then if the vehicle is stopped by the Nevada Highway Patrol or local police officers, it can be towed and impounded, she said.

That goes for out-of-state plates, as well, said David Hefner, supervising investigator for the DMV's Bureau of Enforcement.

If the out-of-state driver has not registered within 30 days of moving to Nevada, the state can take enforcement action.

"We can make them come into compliance or take other action against them," Hefner said.

The Bureau of Enforcement's ability to suspend a registration for smog violation was passed in the 1995 Legislature and went into effect Oct. 1.

In 1995, the bureau received 1,500 complaint calls. More than 2,500 calls have been processed in the first four months of 1996.

"It seems a lot of people are sick of seeing these smoking vehicles out there," Hefner said. "We'll take calls from anybody."

Most offenders are powered by gasoline, but diesels under 8,500 pounds also have to clean it up. "That's anything under a large motor home," he said.

A call to the smog hotline reaches a recording that asks for the license plate number of the smoking vehicle, the location -- with cross streets -- of where it was seen, the time and date of the observation and the vehicle's make and model.

Callers should be especially careful in enunciating the license plate number. Without the plate number, the call cannot be processed.

The DMV's Bureau of Enforcement also covertly monitors official inspection stations around the valley. In 1995 the Enforcement Division levied $8,000 in fines against inspectors, $3,300 in administrative fines against stations for improper inspection activities and more than $100,000 in fines for fraudulent activities.

"A lot of owners who can't pass a smog test go to a less-than-reputable smog tester and pay an extra fee," Hefner said.

Testers guilty of such practice have their licenses revoked, Hefner said. One recent example involved an inspection operation that passed from 500 to 600 vehicles a month at an average charge of $75 per car or truck.

Several major fraud cases against inspection stations are pending.