UK government backtracking on biennial vehicle tests plan

The current UK government, which pledged to cut bureaucracy, had set its sights on the annual MOT vehicle inspections. “Cars are more reliable and the annual test has not changed in 50 years,” transport secretary Philip Hammond announced. The plan was for vehicle testing every two years instead of annually.
April 18, 2012 Read time: 1 min
RSSThe current UK government, which pledged to cut bureaucracy, had set its sights on the annual MOT vehicle inspections. “Cars are more reliable and the annual test has not changed in 50 years,” transport secretary Philip Hammond announced. The plan was for vehicle testing every two years instead of annually.

Not surprisingly, the motor industry and motoring organisations disagreed. They say that MOT centres are the backbone of road safety, finding 2,500 cars, every single day, that are dangerous to drive.

Now the UK government appears to be backtracking. Hammond has handed the proposed plan down to Mike Penning MP, parliamentary under secretary. “The policy is at its preliminary stages. No costs have been drawn up. No formal consultation has started,” states Anna McCreadie, spokesperson for the Department for Transport.

Related Content

  • Authorities look to MaaS for new solutions and cost savings
    July 18, 2017
    The structure of society and the way in which our cities work will be completely transformed by Mobility as a Service (MaaS), Finland’s minister of transport and communications Anne Berner, told ITS International’s recent MaaS Market conference 2017 in London. In her keynote address, Berner told a packed audience of more than 200 ITS professionals that MaaS has the potential to help governments around the world meet their big city targets such as the rate of employment, the environment, the efficient use of
    Read More
  • Moscow summit urges transit change
    June 11, 2019
    Moscow summit urges transit change
    Read More
  • Moscow summit urges transit change
    June 11, 2019
    International ITS experts flocked to Russia for a new conference on the challenges of urban transit. Eugene Gerden reports from Moscow The Leaders in Urban Transportation Summit is a new international conference organised by the Moscow Department of Transport and Road Infrastructure Development. Dedicated to the latest developments in the field of ITS in the city of Moscow, it took place in the Moskva-Citi Business Center in April – and the intention is to make it an annual event. Senior transport o
    Read More
  • Hard shoulder running aids uniform traffic flow and safer driving
    January 23, 2012
    David Crawford detects a market for European experience. Well-established now in at least three European countries, Hard Shoulder Running (HSR) on motorways is exciting growing interest in the US. A November 2010 Report to Congress by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), on the Efficient Use of Highway Capacity, notes the role of HSR in the European-style Active Traffic Management (ATM) strategies now being recommended for implementation in the US where, until recently, they were virtually unknown.
    Read More

Highlighted Content