DfT extends 4-1-1 MOT consultation following trade body campaign
Campaigning by automotive industry trade bodies has led to the Department for Transport (DfT) to extending the current 4-1-1 MOT consultation’s closing date to 22 March 2023.
MOT
Campaigning by automotive industry trade bodies has led to the Department for Transport (DfT) to extending the current 4-1-1 MOT consultation’s closing date to 22 March 2023.
The Independent Garage Association (IGA) and Scottish Motor Trade Association (SMTA) have discussed the MOT frequency and enhancements consultation in a meeting with the Department for Transport (DfT) and Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). The associations asked the DfT why a large and complex consultation, covering 27 areas within the MOT test, was published with only a six-week response period. In response, the department explained that Ministers are focusing on saving consumers money and wanted to use the consultation as an opportunity to evaluate if any areas of the MOT could contribute to further savings. UK automotive trade bodies have launched a petition, which aims to prevent the proposed four-year interval before the first MOT test on new vehicles. Tyres are a major cause of MOT test failures. The industry has often made a strong case against increasing MOT test intervals on the basis that it provides a necessary prompt for UK motorists to change tyres.
A petition has been launched by automotive trade bodies to stop the Government’s plans to extend the period before a vehicle has its first MOT, in order to reduce preventable casualties and deaths caused by vehicle defects. The petition states: “The Government has proposed extending the period before a vehicle has to have its first MOT from 3 years to 4. We believe this will be dangerous, expensive, damaging and unnecessary.”
Following the news that Wales-based garage equipment firm Oakmain Ltd’s sales manager was prosecuted for providing fraudulent solicitors letters to some garages applying to become MOT test centres, it has emerged that the historically “long-time” Garage Equipment Association (GEA) member company have been “struck off” from membership.
Road safety charity TyreSafe has joined a growing chorus of automotive industry opposition to the latest proposal to extend the intervals of the MOT test. The organisation, which has members from all spheres of the UK tyre business sector as well as councils and emergency services, said that plans to require a first MOT after four rather than three years would increase the number of defective tyres and vehicles on the country’s roads. It explained that while new vehicles are often safer than ever, the advanced safety systems they incorporate often rely on the roadworthiness of tyres. Research by TyreSafe and its members suggests that putting more responsibility for ensuring tyres’ roadworthiness on UK motorists could lead to illegal and unsafe tyres remaining fitted to vehicles for longer, as many motorists do not check their tyres frequently enough.
The Independent Garage Association (IGA) has written to the Department for Transport (DfT), urgently requesting an extension to their consultation proposing changes to the MOT frequency and other MOT enhancements.
The sales manager of Wales-based garage equipment supplier Oakmain Ltd received a suspended custodial sentence on 16 January 2023. Newport Crown Court found that Thomas Richard Woods “knowingly providing false information in the form of forged solicitors letters to secure MOT garage applications” following a Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) investigation. The company reportedly also completed the MOT Station application (VT01) form, which is required to set up an MOT test station on behalf of customers. The DVSA described the case as “the first-ever prosecution for providing fraudulent solicitors letters used as part of MOT garage applications.”
New analysis of DVSA MOT test data shows that faulty tyres accounted for 13 per cent of failures between July and September 2022. Of all failures, 27 per cent are “dangerous”. Previous analyses of MOT failure data have found that tyres account for between 8 per cent and 22 of all MOT failures. And therefore the latest figures represent long-term median tyre-related failure rates. Since industry sources generally agree that MOTs generate around 20 per cent of total annual UK tyre replacement sales, however you count it, MOTs have a significant impact on tyre maintenance and therefore road safety.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has launched a public consultation on the future of MOTs in Great Britain, which closes at 11:59pm on 28 February 2023. According to the DfT, “Views are being sought to update MOT testing for cars, motorbikes and vans to ensure roadworthiness checks continue to balance costs on motorists while ensuring road safety, keeping up with advances in vehicle technology, and tackling vehicle emissions.” But the short story is that they are once again proposing to “change the date at which the first MOT for new light vehicles is required from 3 to 4 years” under the guise of saving “motorists across Great Britain around £100 million a year in MOT fees” based on a £40 MOT.
The Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) is urging Mark Harper, the new Secretary of State for Transport not to mess with the current MOT test frequency and instead look to strengthen the current 3-1-1 testing regime through the addition of testing the vehicle’s electronically-controlled safety systems (ADAS). The IAAF, along with UK AFCAR, is actively highlighting to ministers and their departments the dangers involved if the first MOT is conducted when the vehicle becomes 4 years old and the risks this creates that then threaten road safety.
There has been a huge increase in the number of MOT testers disqualified in the past two years. Worse still, the latest news is part of a longer-term trend, with disqualifications having been on the up for years. Indeed, nearly 3.5 times more MOT testers are being disqualified now compared with six years ago.
The latest data shows commercial vehicles are issued 10 times more prohibitions three months after their annual test (MOT), according to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). And the highlighted examples includes tyres worn to the cords.
An MOT tester has received an eight-month suspended custodial sentence for issuing 31 MOT certificates without carrying out the tests, at Taunton Crown Court on 26 August 2022. He was also banned from MOT testing for five years by DVSA.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has updated the wording relating to its categorisation of motorcycle tyre defects. The associated document, published on 22 August 2022, governs how vehicle defects found during roadside inspections or vehicle tests are categorised and what action will be taken when they’re found. In short, treads near the limit are now subject to inspection notices. The updated wording takes effect on 1 September 2022.
The government is considering scrapping the annual MoT test and replacing it with an inspection every two years, and this is a proposal that TyreSafe would like decision-makers to ponder very carefully – for the sake of road safety.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.