Challenge to safety: Government proposes switch to MoTs every two years

When was the last time you looked under the hood of your car?

Honestly. Oil, lighting or brakes checked? Have you looked at the profile of your tires? Or even pumped up?

I bet most, but not all, reading this are often full of good intentions. But there’s always something else that gets in the way more urgently.

Scale back

That is why the government’s controversial decision to consult on scrapping the annual MOT in favor of less frequent checks – every two years instead of the current annual exam – has caused a stir in the field of road safety.

The biggest planned shakeup of the 63-year-old MOT system in decades will lead to thousands of “fatal falls on wheels,” safety activists and motorist groups say.

Letting breakdowns fester for another 12 months will simply lead to more breakdowns, accidents, fatalities and injuries on UK roads, they warn.

They believe that unseen problems and malfunctions can be nipped in the bud at an early stage by maintaining the current annual checks.

Ministers disagree. Modern high-tech cars are much more reliable than those of yesteryear.

And either way, with tight consumers facing a cost-of-living crisis, motorists will welcome the additional savings the change brings.

According to the government’s controversial plans, which were submitted for consultation this month, vehicles would only have to undergo their first MOT inspection after four years instead of the current three years.

Thorough check

The MOT – the name derives from the initials of the former Ministry of Transport – was introduced in 1960 and was originally mandatory ten years after a vehicle’s first registration, then annually thereafter.

The gap between registration and first test was reduced to three years in 1967 and since then, as cars have evolved, more and more safety-critical elements have been added: from superior tires to seat belts, windshield wipers, body structure, exhaust emissions, anti-lock brakes, airbags and electronic stability and control (ESC).

The current maximum MOT charge for cars is £54.85, although garages can charge less and the average is £40, the Department for Transport says.

However, if errors are noticed, motorists should consider the cost of having the repair work done that will result in a pass.

According to ministers’ own estimate, Britain’s 23,400 approved test centers could lose out on around £123 million a year in testing revenue, saving motorists collectively up to £100 million.

However, this could also lead to garage closures and job losses. So you might well expect the auto industry to protest given the amount of business it has to lose.

That said, I myself have not detected a hint or a cry about it from motorists – either in my mailbag or elsewhere – or from drivers demanding that the annual MOT be scrapped or reduced in frequency.

Similar proposals have been considered over the years, most recently in 2017-2018 when they failed to gain public support.

What must we do

So your own attitude to government consultation may come down to a simple choice: what do you value most: your money or your life?

AA chairman Edmund King said the move from annual to bi-annual MOT inspections would mean an increase in ‘fatal falls on wheels’ because, with motorists driving 30,000 miles a year, bald tires and worn brakes could go unchecked: ‘There could be no independent control of those cars.’

While it’s true that cars are getting safer off the production line, there are still concerns that the change wouldn’t be beneficial to motorists or MOTs who will miss out on business. Anyone would argue that the safety of motorists is paramount and that a two-year interruption logically entails risks.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said: “Increasing MOT intervals will reduce the safety net and jeopardize the UK’s record of having some of the safest roads in the world in return for a small saving, it can cost the consumer even more in the long run, because complex failures can arise over time.’

RAC research also shows that most drivers disagree with the changes and think they are dangerous.

In addition, most think it would increase the likelihood of immobilized vehicles on the road, endanger lives and not even save money, as it is likely that larger repair bills would result from a longer gap between MOTs.

Maintenance is not a legal requirement for cars, so the purpose of the MOT is to oblige drivers to have their car inspected for technical condition after three years of use.

On the other hand, maintenance is a requirement for most lease contacts, which account for most new and near-new consumer car registrations.

The Department for Transport launched its consultation, saying: ‘Ensuring the UK maintains its world-class road safety record is at the heart of the proposals. Data shows that most new vehicles pass their first MOT after three years.

“As the number of victims in car collisions due to vehicle defects remains low, government analysis shows that the change from three to four years for the first MOT should have no consequences for road safety.”

Conducting roadworthiness tests four years after vehicle registration is already standard practice in many European countries, including Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, it said.

The new consultation also includes measures to improve emissions monitoring and asks whether batteries in electric cars should be tested for safety and reliability.

The government’s consultation exercise on APK inspections will run until March 1.

More details at: gov.uk/government/consultations

Drivers tired of deleting by

British motorists spend more than three hours each year de-icing and de-icing their car windscreens, according to new research from Skoda UK. But you risk an £80 fine.

After weathering another cold snap, more than a third of motorists spend an average of between five and seven minutes de-icing their windscreen, while another one in eight (13 percent) spend eight to ten minutes.

The most common methods of ice removal are: using the car’s heating system (63 percent); an ice scraper (57 percent) and de-icer (44 percent). And one in eight (13 percent) admitted to using a debit card.

Researchers found that more than three-quarters turn on and run the engine while defrosting their car. Yet more than half of UK motorists are unaware that they can be fined up to £80 for idling on public roads.

Change may be on the way, however, as Skoda’s all-electric Enyaq iV can be preconditioned to defrost the windshield, heat the cabin and prepare the battery in cold conditions so it’s ready to drive for a scheduled time.