Few delays reported as Hartsfield begins vehicle checks

ATLANTA - Flyers didn&#39;t heed warnings to get to the airport three hours early for the first random car inspections Tuesday, but it didn&#39;t matter -- traffic flowed smoothly with only slight delays. <br> <br> Drivers departing from Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, one of the world&#39;s busiest, said they skated through the security check points and some visual inspections lasted only 15 seconds. <br> <br> Others were held up about three minutes as police opened trunks and doors, looking for explosives and terrorism devices. <br> <br> The inspections, which have already started at most other major airports in the nation, began at 8 a.m. Tuesday as required by the Transportation Security Administration. TSA spokesman Brian Trumail said Hartsfield needed more time to coordinate traffic management and logistical planning. <br> <br> Atlanta police officers lined the access roads leading into the north and south terminals at Hartsfield to conduct random visual searches of vehicles for as long as the nation is on high alert for terrorism. <br> <br> Police had said they would randomly search cars and inspect all trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans. But some larger vehicles were waved through, although they were searched more often than small cars. <br> <br> Airport spokeswoman Yolanda Clark said there could be more severe traffic holdups during peak hours, such as the weekend, Monday morning or daily rush hours. Passengers could avoid delays by using the airports free park-and-ride service, or taking the city&#39;s MARTA public transportation system.