One of the EU’s flagship policies (but not flagship enough that anyone actually knows about it!) is to reduce deaths on Europe’s roads to zero by 2050. That’s right, no deaths from road accidents anywhere in the EU, which is a pretty bold target for our normally hyper-conservative Eurocrats.
One part of their approach to achieve this is to increase the vehicle testing regime, hence the recent raft of new MOT requirements to test airbags and other safety equipment.
Many member states recently rejected yet more “new MOT road safety measures” from the EU which would have entailed increased costs to both the respective states (estimated at £2 billion in the UK) and to motorists in those states.
However their latest bright idea, which is actually already used throughout most of Europe, is to ‘split’ MOTs and repairs, so that MOT testing centres would not be able to carry out repairs, and vice-versa. If you take your car for an annual safety check in Spain for example, if it fails you must take it away to be repaired, then return and pay for another test.
Clearly UK motorists would be massively inconvenienced by these MOT proposals, which would force them to make three different journeys should their cars fail the MOT – the first to the standalone MOT Testing Station which would not be allowed to carry out repairs, another journey to a vehicle service and repair business to get the work done, and finally a trip back to the Testing Station for a re-test, and probably another full fee to pay.
This is in contrast to the current system the testing garage can often make the small repairs needed straight away, which is especially convenient when the failure is very simple such as a bulb, wiper blade or brake pad.
Ironically despite this standalone testing system alreaqdy being in place in most EU countries, the three countries where it doesn’t apply (the UK, Holland and Malta) have some of the safest roads in Europe, so the argument that changing the regime would promote road safety has no statistical basis. It seems to be once again the EU’s push to have everything standardised across Europe regardless of what’s working where.
Also in Europe the MOT testing market is dominated by large companies with huge warehouse-like test facilities, and there are very few small independent garages providing a convenient local service.
I know we’ve got a vested interest, being one of said small independent garages, but let’s hope sense prevails and this pointless change of testing regime does not become a reality.