Two vending machines sit side by side at the Kapaun Air Station vehicle processing center’s registration substation. One contains candy and snacks and the other contains mandatory vehicle safety items, including first aid kits, reflective vests and warning triangles. (Zade Vadnais/Stars and Stripes)

Drivers braving the vehicle processing center at Kapaun Air Station have a better chance of passing their safety inspection thanks to an on-site vehicle safety kit vending machine installed today by the Army and Air Force Exchange Service.

The vending machine is located in the VPC’s registration substation adjacent to the center’s vehicle inspection bay and offers mandatory, but commonly forgotten, safety items such as first aid kits, reflective vests and warning triangles.

Failure to produce these items during a vehicle safety inspection is a common reason for being turned away, according to VPC representatives. Previously, those who were turned away for this reason were told to leave the facility, purchase the required safety items and schedule a new inspection appointment within 30 days, a frustrating and daunting prospect during peak vehicle registration and inspection season.

As of today, drivers can purchase any missing items at the new on-site vending machine rather than be turned away.