News

Sandicliffe calls for caution on MOT rule changes

Wednesday 24th April 2008

Sandicliffe Motor Group has urged the government to reconsider possible revisions to the MOT regulations after customers of the East Midlands family-owned car retailer voiced their concern over the potential safety implication of the changes.

Under proposals currently being considered by the Department of Transport, the first MOT test would be delayed 12 months, until vehicles are four years old. Thereafter, they would only have to be checked every two years, instead of annually.

In a recent survey of 970 motorists conducted by Sandicliffe, 77% of drivers said they thought the proposed changes would be detrimental to the safety of cars on UK roads.

On the back of these findings Sandicliffe feels that, contrary to Gordon Brown’s statement that the MOT is little more than “red tape”, the current testing regime for older cars accounts for one Europe’s best safety records. Thirty per cent of all vehicles (some eight million) fail their MOT annually and, significantly, 20% of three-year-old cars fall at their first test.

As the main failure items are brakes, tyres and lights, the implications of keeping these vehicles in service for an additional year are obvious. Factor in the likelihood that many of these will develop further safety related faults, while a third of passed vehicles will fail in the second year, it adds up to millions more defective cars on the road.

Sandicliffe said: “It is heartening that such a clear majority of drivers, for whom the annual MOT can be a costly inconvenience, is responsible enough to put road safety ahead of short-term expedience. This concern should be acknowledged by government.”

It has been estimated that making checks every two years will lead to at least 28 additional road deaths a year - with well over a thousand more people seriously injured. According to Sandicliffe, though, the changes would bring further disadvantages.

Among these is the economic impact. The changes could potentially result in significant closures of MOT test stations and their suppliers. This could ironically lead to a shortage of MOT facilities, resulting in motorists finding it difficult to get their vehicles tested.

In addition, the proposals could lead to a giant VAT windfall for the Treasury. If test stations were allowed to set their own price for checks – as has been suggested, to compensate for lost revenue – the cost would no longer be set by legislation, attracting VAT.

There is also an environmental implication. Currently 15% of cars fail the MOT because they do not meet fuel emission requirements. Under the new proposals, these would have an extra year to pollute.