Earlier this year, the government released the latest budget which showed a proposal to increase the period of time before a car’s first MOT test from 3 years to 4 years. It is suggested that doing so will save motorists more than £100 million a year.

The dangers of the proposal

Since the announcement was made, many leading names in motoring have spoken out against the proposal claiming that although this change could be financially beneficial, the roads could become increasingly unsafe due to unknown faults in tyres and brakes.

The Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has shown that a worrying 20% of 3-year-old cars fail their first MOT test, and according to the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), this figure could double under the new proposal.

The managing director of car warranty specialists Warranty Direct, David Gerrans, voiced his concern that pushing back the date of an MOT could cause motorists to put off essential repairs that are the cause of 3% of all fatal road accidents. On top of this, many motorists are only made aware that their tyres are illegal after they fail their MOT. Stuart James, director of Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI), told the Daily Telegraph: ‘Using the Department for Transport’s figures, if the MOT was to change we would be increasing the number of deaths by 35 a year, which averages at about three people a month. And that’s without mentioning injuries. Even an average-mileage car is significantly more likely to be driving on unsafe and worn tyres and brakes after four years compared with three.’

 
Previous proposal

A similar proposal was put forward in 2007; it was suggested that first MOTs should be undertaken after 4 years and further annual MOTs should be reduced to bi-annually. The idea was met with mass disapproval and with research from the MOT Trade Forum suggesting that the new legislation could increase road fatalities by 100 deaths a year, the idea was quickly scrapped. With these new worrying statistics showing the roads becoming much more dangerous under the new proposal, many motorists are hoping that this proposal will also be abandoned.

 
Universal Tyres pride ourselves on being up to date on all the current changes in MOT and motoring legislations in order to offer the most knowledgeable service to all of our clients.

Here at Universal Tyres, we believe that road safety is of paramount importance. That’s why we offer rigorous tests at affordable prices. As leading Ministry of Transport approved MOT test centres, we can guarantee a highly professional and same day service to ensure that your vehicle is roadworthy as soon as possible. Get in contact with your local branch and our friendly teams to book your test.