Plan B Forum

Ministers are considering lifting the requirement that cars have an annual MOT test, despite warnings that it could lead to dozens more deaths on our roads.


Under new plans, drivers may be required to get their vehicles checked only once every two years. Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said the proposal, which would save motorists hundreds of pounds at a time of high petrol prices, was sensible because modern-day cars were a lot safer.

But the Government’s own analysis has found that relaxing the MOT rules could lead to an extra 30 deaths on the road every year. Garage owners will oppose the move because it will hit their profits, and the AA has spoken out against any change to the current annual requirement. Mr Hammond said: ‘Car technology has come a long way since the 1960s when our MOT regime was introduced.

‘That’s why we think it’s right to check whether we still have the right balance of MOT testing for modern vehicles.’ A MOT test – the abbreviation stands for Ministry of Transport – costs about £55. But many of them reveal unknown flaws which can send the total bill soaring. At present, cars which are at least three years old have to get an MOT test every year. Without an MOT, a motorist cannot legally drive or get his car insured.

Mr Hammond is to launch a consultation on three options for change. The most conservative would be to delay a new car’s first MOT until the end of its fourth year. It would then have annual MOTs.
A study by the Transport Research Laboratory, which says vehicle defects contribute to 3 per cent of accidents in Britain, has found that this change would lead to about two extra road deaths every year.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1JBVBrTOz

The statistical models showed that states with mandatory vehicle inspections had 1.5 fewer fatal crashes per every billion vehicle miles traveled than states without inspection programs. The model estimated that without its inspection program, Pennsylvania would have about 169 more fatal crashes and 187 more fatalities per year. In 2008 there were 1,358 fatal car accidents in Pennsylvania, so the 169 lives saved by the inspection program represents about an 11 percent decrease in the number of fatal accidents. A cost-to-benefit analysis was also conducted as part of the study. Using the U.S. Department of Transportation’s official estimate of the value of life ($5.8 million/human life), it was estimated that the benefit of Pennsylvania’s programs was $1,084.6 million. The cost of the vehicle inspection program was calculated to be $621.3 million. Thus, the cost-to-benefit analysis shows a $463.3 million estimated benefit per year from mandatory vehicle safety inspections in Pennsylvania.

Daisy wrote:I know right! The French doing something reasonable .... that's a scary prospect isn't it?

Gob wrote:Is there not a mandatory test in PA Miles?

In fact, can anyone tell us which states have tests and which do not?

Miles wrote:

Gob wrote:Is there not a mandatory test in PA Miles?

In fact, can anyone tell us which states have tests and which do not?

Yes we have a mandatory annual vehicle inspection. I only know,for certain, the Ohio does not however I imagine there are more who, for whatever the reason, also do not.

Joe Guy wrote:In California we just have smog inspections - which are a complete waste because they are unfair.

For example, my dear old mother who was driving a 77 Chrysler Cordoba (she's the original owner) no more than 1500 miles per year, had her car deemed a "Gross Polluter" based on the year it was made and the model, not on its performance. So she had to pay more for an inspection and could only go to certain stations to get them.

And it always passed with no problems!

It is unfair because annual miles driven should be considered when they are determining how much pollution you are putting into the air. It is likely that the Cordoba put less pollution into the air annually than most new cars on the road.

She quit driving last year and donated the car to charity.

Problem solved.