Study data suggests that roughly 46 million U.S. people drive with impaired vision in bad weather due to poor windshield wiper performance. Bad windshield wipers significantly impair visibility, and contribute to nearly 1.2 million crashes and over 6,000 fatalities every year in the U.S. Yet 24 states – including Florida – currently feature no vehicle safety inspection requirements, exacerbating the risk factor.
This study will consider how having bad windshield wipers can equal deadly consequences. We’ll look at wiper maintenance data and fatality data that cites poor wipers as the determining factor. We’ll also focus on state differentials and how wiper maintenance obligations vary from state to state. And we’ll consider the parts of the U.S. that feature the kind of weather that means good windshield wipers are a must.
First, let’s look at some key windshield wiper facts.
The Safety Importance of Windshield Wipers: Key Data
Study data tells us that around 90% of driving decisions primarily rely on vision, with poor visibility linked to nearly 50% of fatal crashes.
Here are some worrying wiper-related statistics.
- A survey of vehicles going through check lanes during National Car Care Month revealed that one in five vehicles had faulty windshield wipers or washing systems, potentially impairing the driver’s vision.
- Roughly one in five of the 231,289,998 vehicles registered in the U.S. in 2004 (46,277,999) had deficient windshield wipers or washing systems, meaning tens of millions of drivers were hampered by impaired vision during stormy weather.
- According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), over 20% of all vehicle crashes are due to adverse weather conditions.
- Drivers often wait years to replace windshield wipers that were clearly faulty in some way after only six to 12 months.
- According to The Bass Tire Company, wiper blades should be replaced every 6-12 months (or even sooner if you notice skipping, streaking, or torn rubber on your wiper blades).
It can’t be stressed too strenuously: wiper blades can save your life if it rains, snows, or hails, or if a vehicle up ahead kicking up dust or debris occludes your view. So making sure yours are in tip-top condition is vital.
The Importance of Windshield Wiper Maintenance
And there are different ways to get your windshield wipers replaced. For over 40% of both DIY and DIFM drivers, preventative maintenance was the main reason given for replacing their wiper blades, according to IMR Inc.’s Continuing Consumer Automotive Maintenance Survey (CCAMS). (Quick explanation:
In this case, a DIFM (Do-It-For-Me) customer would buy new wiper blades online or through a retailer, and then have them installed separately by a professional.)
For 35% of DIY drivers choosing to replace their wiper blades, wiper failure was the given reason; 30.8% of DIFM drivers replaced them for the same reason.
For over 20% of DIYers and almost 25% of DIFM customers, a change in windshield wipers was due to wanting an upgrade, despite the fact that their current wipers were in good working condition.
Another IMR study (from 2015) involved asking consumers their reasons for a windshield wiper service or repair. Here are the results for both DIY and DIFM drivers.
In extreme cases where wipers are in a state of disrepair or are not functioning optimally, it can lead to a serious crash and fatalities. FARS data tells us that 12 states reported a total of 16 traffic fatalities between 2019 and 2023 that were directly due to inadequate wipers in bad weather conditions. Here’s where those fatalities occurred.
Wisconsin, with the most specifically-cited wiper-related fatalities (3),
It is also one of 24 states that do not feature any vehicle safety inspection requirements.
National Vehicle Safety Inspection Rates
Vehicle safety inspections are meant to make sure cars are roadworthy, and that basic car safety is in order (including the vehicle being equipped with fully-working windshield wipers). The following list of states has yet to put such measures in place.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
While the above states don’t have any statewide safety inspection requirements, the following states feature individual counties that have imposed safety requirements.
| State | Counties With Safety Requirements |
|---|---|
| Arizona | Phoenix, and Tucson require biennial emissions inspections. |
| Colorado | Emissions testing is required in 9 Colorado counties. |
| Georgia | Testing is required in the 13 metropolitan Atlanta counties. |
| Indiana | Lake County or Porter County requires emissions testing. |
| Nevada | Clark, and Washoe stipulate annual emissions inspections. |
| New Mexico | Bernalillo County requires biennial emissions tests. |
| Oregon | Emissions testing is required in Portland and Medford. |
- Maryland requires a single safety inspection when a vehicle is registered from another state or when a used vehicle is purchased.
- California requires periodic inspections. For example, a smog inspection is necessary during the registration or renewal of a vehicle over 8 years old.
- Connecticut requires annual inspections for some vehicles, including specific types of commercial vehicles, trucks, salvage vehicles, and several types of trailers.
The following 7 states require inspections every other year, with noted exceptions.
| State | Additional Details |
|---|---|
| Delaware | New cars are exempt from safety inspections for the first seven years, as long as the car remains with the same owner. |
| District of Columbia | Safety inspections are mandatory for publicly owned vehicles; privately owned vehicles are exempt. |
| Illinois | Safety checks are obligatory every year once a vehicle is four years old. |
| Missouri | For the first ten years after manufacture, and until there are 150,000 miles on a vehicle’s odometer, vehicles are exempt from safety inspections. |
| New Jersey | New vehicles require a safety inspection every five years. |
| Rhode Island | Newly registered vehicles are exempt from inspection for two years from the date of purchase. Vehicles registered as antiques are subject to safety inspection, but are exempt from emissions testing. |
| West Virginia | All vehicles are now inspected every other year. |
10 States That Require Annual Inspections
- HawaiiBrand new vehicles receive an initial inspection that’s valid for two years. Emergency vehicles, school vehicles, rental cars, and public transport vehicles must be inspected every six months.
- LouisianaA two-yearly inspection frequency is possible if a vehicle owner pays double the usual fee.
- MaineSchool buses are inspected every six months, and vehicles registered as antique are exempt.
- MassachusettsNo current exemptions.
- New YorkNewly registered vehicles with a current inspection sticker from another state are exempt until the out-of-state sticker expires, or for one year after registration in New York. Vehicles registered for farm use are exempt.
- North CarolinaOnce the vehicle is 30 years of age, inspections are no longer necessary.
- PennsylvaniaSchool vehicles (including school buses and school vans), motor coaches, and mass transit buses require bi-annual checks. Vehicles with antique license plates are exempt from inspection.
- TexasGas-powered vehicles over two years old require regular emissions inspections.
- VermontInspections are due at the end of even-numbered months only. Inspections performed in an odd-numbered month will receive a sticker for the next even-numbered month (for example, a car inspected in November 2011 will receive a sticker valid until December 31, 2012).
- VirginiaNewly registered vehicles that have a valid inspection certificate from another state must still earn a Virginia safety inspection certificate.
Study data suggests that states featuring mandatory inspections show a comparative 5-9% reduction in crash rates. And it’s not an expensive habit: the average annual cost of a U.S. vehicle inspection is between $20–$70.
In terms of improving vehicle safety overall, the data tells its own story: the highest ranking state with no inspection requirements (South Carolina) has a fatality rate of 24.9 deaths per 100,000 people. To compare, California, which features routine inspections and is ranked 18th on the overall list, has a death rate of 10.9 per 100,000 people.
South Carolina, which ranks top overall with a death rate of 24.9 per 100k (more than double the national average rate of 12.2) and a rate of 1.79 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (the national average is 1.26), features no safety inspection requirements. Clearly, the state might well benefit from a policy change regarding its car safety position: even minor vehicle safety obligations could save a significant number of lives.
The same might be said for Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, and New Hampshire. All are ranked in the top 10 for fatalities by population, and none feature vehicle safety inspection requirements.
Maryland, which ranks 3rd on the overall list, requires a single vehicle inspection. Its fatality rate (by 100k of the population) of 20.7 suggests a more demanding safety protocol might be overdue.
Ultimately, 11 states do not require any vehicle safety checks, and these states also feature a death rate higher than the national average. In all cases, it would seem worthwhile to impose some kind of mandatory inspection.
It’s also worth bearing in mind the states that suffer the nation’s worst weather when we consider vehicle safety inspections, since the vehicles in question desperately need fully-working windshield wiper blades.
Adverse Weather Road Fatalities
Between 2019 and 2023, 12,927 motor vehicle accident reports cited rain as a contributing circumstance. The following U.S. months featured the most rain-related fatal crashes.
The following states suffered the highest vehicle fatality rates due to rainy conditions (per 100,000 of the population). The top 6 states all feature no mandatory vehicle safety inspections.
| State | Fatalities | Population | Rate per 100K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 289 | 2,939,690 | 9.83 |
| Alabama | 453 | 5,108,468 | 8.87 |
| Arkansas | 256 | 3,067,732 | 8.34 |
| South Carolina | 431 | 5,373,555 | 8.02 |
| Kentucky | 351 | 4,526,154 | 7.75 |
| Tennessee | 536 | 7,126,489 | 7.52 |
| West Virginia | 129 | 1,770,071 | 7.29 |
| Georgia | 690 | 11,029,227 | 6.26 |
| Oregon | 264 | 4,233,358 | 6.24 |
| North Carolina | 614 | 10,835,491 | 5.67 |
Snow is another key weather danger factor for drivers. Between 2019 and 2023, there were 1,515 snow-related fatalities in the U.S., with these the key danger months.
The following states suffered the highest snow-related fatality rates per 100,000 of the population. Wyoming, by far the leading state, and 2nd and 3rd placed Alaska and Montana, feature no mandatory vehicle safety inspections.
| State | Fatalities | Population | Rate per 100k |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | 47 | 584,057 | 8.05 |
| Alaska | 34 | 733,406 | 4.64 |
| Montana | 41 | 1,132,812 | 3.62 |
| Vermont | 15 | 647,464 | 2.32 |
| South Dakota | 18 | 919,318 | 1.96 |
| Michigan | 176 | 10,037,261 | 1.75 |
| Maine | 23 | 1,395,722 | 1.65 |
| Idaho | 30 | 1,964,726 | 1.53 |
| West Virginia | 27 | 1,770,071 | 1.53 |
| Wisconsin | 81 | 5,910,955 | 1.37 |
Why Making Sure Your Wipers Are Fully Working Matters
As study data shows, inadequate windshield wipers can be fatal, and potentially play a key role in 1.2 million crashes and 6,000 fatalities in the U.S. every year. An estimated 1 in 5 U.S. vehicles feature deficient wipers, meaning over 46 million drivers may suffer impaired vision during bad weather.
And 24 states (including Florida) currently feature no vehicle safety inspection requirements, putting the onus on drivers to keep their wipers in full working order. Logically, the lack of regular vehicle safety checks means many defective cars in lax states will continue to use roads, increasing danger levels.
Wiper blades should be replaced every 6–12 months (or even sooner if you notice skipping, streaking, or torn rubber on your wiper blades)
According to the Federal Highway Administration, over 20% of all vehicle crashes are due to adverse weather conditions. And it’s surely no coincidence that the top 6 states subject to rainy weather road fatalities, and the top 3 states subject to snowy weather road fatalities (both per 100,000 of the population), feature no mandatory vehicle safety requirements.
According to study data, many drivers currently wait years to replace faulty windshield wipers. According to The Bass Tire Company, wiper blades should be replaced every 6-12 months (or even sooner if you notice skipping, streaking, or torn rubber). In states where there are no demands to do otherwise, a huge safety gap persists.
Until vehicle safety inspections become mandatory in states without any, drivers will continue to be injured and die in avoidable numbers.
For Florida drivers, the onus is on you to make sure your vehicle (including your windshield wipers) is in full working order. Ultimately, something as apparently simple as a mildly defective wiper blade can be the difference between life and death.
Were you hurt in a car accident? Are you wondering how you will cover your medical treatment costs and make ends meet while you cannot work? A Florida car accident lawyer at Anidjar & Levine can discuss your case and determine your options as you seek compensation.
If you were traveling on I-95, Biscayne Boulevard, I-4, or another Florida road when a driver hit you, you have the right to pursue monetary damages.
Our personal injury law firm offers legal services to Floridians and visitors injured in car crashes. To start a free initial consultation, contact us today.
