RMIF: Biennial MOT plan "disastrous"

Posted :30-11-2006

Gordon Brown's proposal to change the frequency of MOT testing from once every year to once every two years has been labelled as "disastrous".

According to Ray Holloway - director of the International Garage Federation which is part of the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF) - Chancellor Brown's claim that the current annual testing is no more than "red tape" is "misguided".

"The case for change does not stack up in several crucial areas, namely safety, environmental and cost," Mr Holloway remarked.

And he suggested that the potential costs saved in the short-term by motorists could be cancelled out by longer-term repairs that may have been cheaper had they been spotted at an earlier MOT test.

In addition, technicians and businesses trained to carry out the maintenance checks could lose income and struggle to survive.

An MOT test checks a vehicle more than three years old in a number of different maintenance categories to ensure it is roadworthy.

If all parts of the test are not passed, the car is classed as unroadworthy and the driver cannot purchase motor insurance or get behind the wheel until any problems are fixed.


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