In an unexpected, but very welcome, statement from the Department for Transport, the government have conceded the rightness of opinion from a wide variety of sources that the current frequency of MOT testing is appropriate to the UK’s needs and will be retained.

Key to this reversal of the Road Safety Minister Mike Penning’s statements over several months was the wealth of data and opinion given by the IAAF and other trade bodies.  This was supported by road safety, environmental, and consumer groups.

 

In particular, it considered data from Department for Transport’s own executive agency VOSA (Vehicle and Operator Services Agency) showing that more than a quarter (27.7%) of vehicles tested in 2010-2011 had one or more car defects that were either missed by MOT test centres or incorrectly assessed.

 

The VOSA data also showed that the roadworthiness of one-in-eight cars (12.4%) was being incorrectly assessed by MOT test centres.

 

As a result, the Government will work with industry, motoring organisations and consumer groups to focus on the reliability and standards of garages. The Government has decided to:


 

• Retain the existing rules on MOT test frequency since the evidence shows that vehicle defects are being missed and roadworthiness mis-assessed.

 

• Shine a light on the performance of MOT testing stations by releasing hitherto unpublished VOSA survey data on whether the sector is complying with test standards. This was published on 1st February 2012.


 

• Work with motoring organisations to find out what problems motorists experience and enable them to share examples of good customer service – in particular to find ways to make it easier for customers to give feedback on their experiences of garages in a way that others can see – potentially in