Drive Cycle Hell

Having moved to Southern California in 1971 when summer brought smog days that left the air a sickly brown and people wheezing from breathing pollution, I appreciate the improvements that have been made in reducing polluters. And I know that one of the factors in being able to breathe easier are the reduction in vehicle emissions and the Smog Check Program that tests vehicles periodically to make sure emissions are still low. Yes, it is a small pain in the neck to take my car to a smog check station before it can be registered, but its a small price to pay. Except when its a big price to pay.

Smog Check Hell

No one would ever accuse me of being an environmentalist but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate it when measures imposed by our government successfully improve the environment around me.   When we moved to California in 1971, there were days when the smog tinted the air brown, it hurt the eyes to go outside and the simple act of breathing burned the lungs.   In the car-obsessed L.A. metropolitan area, automobile exhaust was the primary cause of such days, and … although having to have my car smog certified every two years is a pain … the smog check program has dramatically improved the air here in Socal.   As I sit here in the park on a sultry summer day, the air around me is colorless and the sky is blue.