Majority of motorists against MOT change
Over half of Britain’s motorists want to keep MOTs a yearly occurrence, according to a new poll.
Under new Government plans, the length of time between MOTs would be stretched so that new vehicles would not require an MOT certificate for the first four years, then every 24 months.
However, a survey published by breakdown bods GEM Motoring Assist revealed that 52% of motorists would be in favour of retaining the current three-one-one schedule, believing that a change in the law would result in a slip in the car maintenance standards.
Detrimental
Many argue that the change would be detrimental to road safety and that retaining the present system would provide reassurance of their car’s safety and roadworthiness with the current system.
In contract, a tad more than a quarter of the 3,000 respondents said they would welcome the change (26%) while 22% weren’t sure how they’d feel.
GEM Chief Executive David Williams MBE comments: “The results prove that having such a regular service gives the public peace of mind when it comes to driving a safe and reliable vehicle.
“We know that drivers rarely check their cars themselves and leaving it two years will mean we will have unsafe and sub-standard cars on our roads.
“The proposed biennial MOT system will undoubtedly have a negative impact on road safety and put more lives at risk unnecessarily every year.”
Off the mark
GEM’s findings are in line with a survey carried out by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) last year which found that 60% of UK motorists would prefer to stick with the three-one-one structure [link].
With fuel prices constantly creeping skywards, the Government has been pushing the MOT rejig as a way to cut the cost of motoring. However, IAM Chief Exec Simon Best says the move would be well off the mark.
“In a time when people are struggling financially, the MOT seems to be one cost they are happy to pay,” explained Best.
“The IAM is wary of abandoning our well-established and accepted cycle of MOT testing. The poll suggests that most motorists are happy with it.”
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