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Due to the ongoing cost of living crisis, the Government recently proposed a measure that would see UK drivers needing their car tested every two years instead of annually. This has been met with concern by motoring groups, garages and drivers across the UK who believe that this will increase the costs for the typical driver, as well as make the roads less safe.
In light of this, Group 1 Automotive conducted a survey of over 1,000 UK drivers to assess attitudes towards the change.
The data revealed that over half (52 percent) of the people surveyed would be unhappy if the requirement for an MOT was changed from one year to two.
On top of that, three in five people would still take yearly MOTs even if it was not a legal requirement.
Additionally, over 60 percent of motorists would worry about driving with their children in the car if they didn’t have a yearly MOT.
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“For example, one in three people only change their tyres when needed for an MOT, extending the amount of time required before retesting could lead road users to neglect to maintain their vehicle.
“Nearly three-quarters of people also believe that not having yearly MOTs could cause small problems to get worse, as they aren’t identified early enough.
“These issues are likely to create anxiety amongst drivers, with 60 percent of people reporting concerns about driving with their children/family in the car, and over 40 percent being worried about driving with their pets, should the proposed change go ahead.”
The news comes just after new data from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), found that one in four vehicles have a late MOT test.
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Around 28 percent of people present their vehicle late for its MOT, and of these, around three-quarters had simply forgotten.
As well as potentially being dangerous to drivers and other road users, vehicles being driven without a valid MOT can be subject to a fine.
Drivers can be fined up to £1,000 for driving a car without a valid MOT and if a car is deemed to be “dangerous”, this can rise to £2,500 and a potential ban.
So far four million people have signed up for its free MOT reminder service.
This provides motorists with a free email or text message reminder four weeks before their vehicle’s MOT is due.
This helps them keep their vehicle safe, legal and most importantly, on the road.
From this week, motorists can now easily view and amend their MOT reminders online.
The new changes make it hassle-free to either delete old MOT reminders for vehicles that have been sold or scrapped, or to add a new vehicle.
While 75 percent of users surveyed say they would highly recommend the service to friends and family, the DVSA is committed to continually improving the service.
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