The Transport Secretary Justine Greening announced this week that all cars will now need to be tested after their first three years on the road and then afterwards on an annual basis in a move that surprised many.
This is just one of the many reverse transport announcements that have come about over the last few months as it seems the Government is a bit bi-polar when it comes to its policies. Other announcements that have been surprising have been that pupils under five do not need milk in school and that they will sell off public forest areas.
Prior to the announcement it was understood that ministers were thinking about waiting four years before an initial MoT inspection would be required of new cars and then making the test a bi-annual requirement. The idea was to help clear red tape after so many regulations were erected over the economic period of uncertainty.
At the time it seemed logical as cars are now more reliable and better constructed then in the past. However, Greening chose to toss the plans of Phillip Hammond in favor of evidence that she reviewed from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency.
The study revealed that over a quarter of the MoT tests over the last year missed defects and passed thousands of cars that should not have been deemed roadworthy. Motoring groups were in support of the results claiming that if the tests were not as frequent then more unsafe cars would continue to slip through the cracks placing many people’s safety on the roads at risk. In response to the poor MoT results, the Government plans to carry out a variation of the ‘mystery shopper’ experience at its own testing centres to see where the problems are.
