THOUSANDS BACK BID TO SCRAP MOT CUT
Classic experts support campaign against biennial tests
More than 2000 people have signed an online petition urging the government to abandon a proposal to make the MOT a two-year requirement. Transport minister, Grant Schapps, who floated the controversial idea in April, said that its aim would be to help the cost of living crisis. Those opposing the idea have questioned whether it can effectively save motorists money, and raised safety concerns.
The petition, titled ‘Keep MOT tests as a yearly requirement’, states: ‘With 33 per cent of cars already failing their first MOT, we feel the risk to public safety would be significant. The changes would also be extremely detrimental to the MOT and garage industry and could result in job losses.’ Ben Field, manging director of Vintage Tyres, told CCW: ‘This is a terrible idea. No MOT means no failures to get fixed or advisories to consider, but those failure points are designed to keep cars safe. Without them we will have a whole lot more cars on the roads that aren’t fit to be there. And when the car does finally turn up for its MOT, those faults will be worse and the owner is going to have to fork out more. Savings towards the cost of living crisis? I don't think so! ‘Tyre-wise, the minimum tread depth to pass the MOT is a measly 1.6mm in a continuous band through the central three quarters of the tread width. Say a car just scraped through its last MOT with a couple of tyres right on the legal limit – what do they look like now, 8000 miles later? How will they look in another year? ‘I can’t understand why the government doesn’t consult with the AA or RAC to get a sensible take before making these meaningless, dangerous gestures.’ The RAC’S head of policy, Nicholas Lyes, said: ‘The purpose of an MOT is to ensure that vehicles meet a basic level of safety for driving on our roads. Shifting it from annually to every two years would see a dramatic increase in the number of unroadworthy vehicles and could make our roads far less safe.’ Despite being slammed by the motor industry, the proposal may be welcomed by the wider public, according to research by Startline Motor Finance. Its study of used-car buyers (published on 1 June) revealed that 84 per cent would support the scheme. Although 50 per cent worried about the safety of other cars, only 27 per cent were concerned for the safety of their own vehicle. Twenty three per cent believed that the move would not save them money overall. The petition, which runs until 3 November, needs 10,000 signatures in order for the government to respond.