According to the Massachusettes Right To Repair Coalition, the voters have spoken. And the result is – They overwhelmingly approve of the right to Repair law voted on by referendum on Question 1 on last Tuesday’s election.
The reason this historic legislation is so significant is that Massachusetts is the first state to pass such legislation. It effectively allows car owners to take their car anywhere for service. Prior to this, auto manufacturers were able to withhold important repair and diagnostic information vital to troubleshooting and repairing vehicle troubles. The law makes it illegal for manufacturers to withold this info. Previously, manufacturers only allowed their dealers to have access to this information.
Obviously, there is another beneficiary besides car owners, that is independent auto repair shops. For years, they have lobbied through their coalitions to gain access to this vital information. Our best guess is that this trend will snowball further on down through all the other states, and soon we will see this type of legislation becoming the law of the land throughout the USA. There are efforts underway currently on the national level, as new legislation has been introduced for consideration this next session.
Consumers will be happy because they can expect significant decrease in the costs for repairs, as well as the added convenience to be able to bring their vehicle to the nearest repair shop of their choice.
