AQMD then developed a Smoking Vehicle Program which was approved in March 1988 by AQMD's Governing Board . The CUT-SMOG Program was established to reduce visible exhaust from vehicles traveling in the basin. AQMD's CUT-SMOG program depends on public participation. The program is voluntary and those making complaints remain anonymous. Using the Department of Motor Vehicle's database, AQMD retrieves the owner's registration information and mails an advisory letter to the owner informing them that a complaint has been filed against their vehicle.
All information involved in the program remains confidential.
The letter advises smoking vehicle owners that their vehicle was reported to be smoking and recommends they have it repaired to eliminate excessive emissions. Throughout 1991 incoming calls averaged more than 15,000 a month. To date nearly 1,000,000 callers have volunteered information to the CUT-SMOG program.