Government slams brakes on MOT changes
The Cameron Government saw the MOT test as a positive starting point to slashing bureaucracy. ‘Cars are more reliable and the annual test has not changed in 50 years’, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond announced. The plan was for vehicle testing every two years instead of annually.
Molly Entwistle, a nurse from Bristol complains, ‘My Fiesta failed the MOT on a torn wiper blade and a cracked number plate. I had to take the car back 4 days later and pay for a retest. Then wait 45 minutes for them to check it. At £80 all in it was a complete waste of time and money.’
The Motor Industry disagrees. It does not feel that it is part of the nanny state. MOT Centres are seen as the backbone of road safety. Every single day the MOT Test finds 2,500 cars that are dangerous to drive.
Now the Government appears to be backtracking. Hammond has handed it down to Mike Penning MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary.
‘The policy is at its preliminary stages. No costs have been drawn up. No formal consultation has started’, states Anna McCreadie, spokesperson for the Department for Transport. Hammond’s brainwave has clearly hit the skids.
Luke Bosdet from the AA claims, ‘A survey of our members found that 67% oppose these new proposals. They don’t want to share the road with people willing to sacrifice road safety for the price of half a tank of fuel.’
Mail Order Company Carparts-direct.co.uk agrees. It maintains that Steering, Suspension and Brakes are the major failure items on an MOT.
‘When we supply a Remanufactured Steering Rack, Driveshaft or Brake Calliper we collect the original unit from the customer,’ says Martin Mosley of Carparts-Direct. ‘Some are so badly worn they clearly have not been working for weeks or even months. They are a death trap. 37% of all the Brakes we supply are for cars under 3 years old which aren’t even due for the test,’ adds Mosley. ‘Scrapping the annual MOT test is madness.’
Love it or hate it. We all respect the MOT. It’s like Christmas. It may be around for some time yet.
