Mot Extension?

[goodgoalie]

It has been reported tonight that one of the topics up for government discussion at the moment is the possible extension of the need for an MoT from every year to every 2 years. I have all fingers and toes crossed for my ancient jalopy!

[ToraToraTora]

Bad idea in my opinion. Possibly for cars under 10 years old or something but overall It's just going to increase the amount of death traps on the road. It's fine as it is, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

[Hopkirk]

Considering the number of cars I see with more than one light out, I think it's unwise.
Many people fail to make the most basic checks on their cars.

[Hymie]

I think somewhere in Australia they did away with the requirement to have vehicles safety tested regularly and found no increase in road accidents due to un-road worthy vehicles.

We are just being fleeced by MOT stations having to fix vehicles with faults that have no bearing on safety.
A faulty brake warning light is an MOT failure – having a vehicle not fitted with a brake warning feature (by design) is not an MOT failure. If the brakes work correctly with a faulty warning light on, what is the safety issue?

[ToraToraTora]

the MOT is 100% about safety hymie. What a strange world you inhabit.

[Hopkirk]

The very fact that cars regularly fail the test is proof it is needed.

[Buenchico]

TTT's "if it ain't broke don't fix it" seems not to recognise that the suggested reason for the change is to save hard-up families money:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-61227622
(The words 'deck chairs' and Titanic spring into my mind upon reading that report).

However I still find myself agreeing with TTT that it's an unwise idea.

Equally though, I agree with Hymie that having non-safety-related items included in the MOT test can unnecessarily cost car owners a lot of money. For example, the steering lock didn't engage when the key was removed from my Saab's ignition. That didn't affect the safety of my car at all but it still cost me £650 to get fixed in order to get the car through its MOT!

[ToraToraTora]

chris, if it's about saving money for families then there are better ways but that is flawed in itself. We need to reorientate our transport choices as a nation. Motoring is far too cheap and public transport is a joke. Put the cost of motoring up, eg fuel £5 etc and transform public transport, that's what we should be doing. Not sacrificing safety to help those who really can't afford to run a car.

[Hopkirk]

I have to agree, that does sound ridiculous. One of our cars has this modern system where you just have the key fob somewhere in the car and you can start it. I presume therefore it has no steering lock fitted.

[Hopkirk]

Putting the price of fuel up won't work TTT. We're all going electric.

[douglas9401]

You presume erroneously, Hopkirk. Our keyless Frogmobile releases the steering lock electrically when starting the engine.

[ToraToraTora]

yes so when they introduce road pricing, set that accordingly.

[ToraToraTora]

the steering lock, if fitted must work properly because it can engage erroneously when you don't want it. There had been several cases of this prior to it's introduction in 2012.

[Hopkirk]

Surely you mean if they introduce road pricing.

[ToraToraTora]

they'll have to, no other practical way of replacing fuel duty.

[Hopkirk]

Yes there is. General taxation.

[Canary42]

https://ibb.co/6YjSM6P

[ToraToraTora]

hopkirk: "Yes there is. General taxation." - I can't see that going down with the non motorist tax payers. Road pricing is inevitability, the only way. It will replace fuel duty and probably VED though they may keep the latter.

[Hopkirk]

Road pricing is a none starter. The technology to apply it would be hugely expensive. Whizz kids would find ways to avoid it.
Whichever party introduces it would guarantee that they would lose the next election.

[ToraToraTora]

the tech is already there hoppy, insurance companies use it now to track young drivers. Road pricing is coming get used to it. It'll get phased in over time with sweeteners en route. They'll sell it by saying that VED will be cut to a token amount for example.

[jno]

Whichever party introduces it would guarantee that they would lose the next election.

maybe - Ken Livingstone promised to introduce a congestion charge, which I thought was brave, but he was elected. Still, London's different, it already has public transport.