Two year MOT’s on the way

The change to two year MOT’s has been something on the cards with the government for a long time, and while many people might assume it will reduce the cost of car maintenance, experts are claiming that it is actually going to increase the cost of repairs as well as insurance.

Rather than saving money through servicing less often, it is expected that motorists will be facing an extra charge of around £60 a year. In addition to this, it is estimated that nearly 40,000 jobs could be lost because of the changes. The plans currently say that MOT’s will not need to be conducted for four years after the  new vehicle is purchased, and from this point on they only need to be conducted every other year.

There is a campaign fighting against the government proposal and a consortium of nearly 30 safety organisations and motoring groups have come together to oppose the move. Their strongest point of argument is on the issue of increased costs and job losses that would be associated with the change. They also state that the cost to the government would be nearly £1.5 billion because of additional road accidents, including more injuries and deaths.

A report by a group promoting annual MOT’s has stated, “Britain’s roads are incredibly safe when you compare them to the international average and part of this is because we have frequent tests to make sure that our vehicles roadworthy. Without having regular MOT’s more malfunctioning cars are going to be on the road and this is going to put lives in danger.

We estimate that the number of serious injuries or deaths that occur on the road could rise by up to 3000 a year. Combine this with the job losses and additional costs for drivers and these proposals start to look like a very bad idea.”