Six-weeks is not long enough to provide DfT with comprehensive road safety evidence, IGA says
The Independent Garage Association (IGA) has written to the Department for Transport (DfT), urgently requesting an extension to their consultation proposing changes to the MOT frequency and other MOT enhancements.
Stuart James, IGA chief executive said: “The content of this consultation contains highly complex and important subjects, relating not just to the frequency of the MOT but updates to multiple areas of the MOT system, which will have far reaching consequences for consumers and the automotive sector alike.
“Previous consultations reviewing changes to the frequency of the MOT test had a consultation period of approximately 12 weeks, however the DfT’s new consultation is running for only six weeks.
“With 69 questions to respond to, this time period is insufficient to understand, discuss, collate views, obtain evidence and draft a fully detailed, accurate and considered response which ensures that the right decisions are made.
“In particular, a six-week timeframe is not long enough to provide the DfT with comprehensive evidence relating to road safety.
“Given the potential safety impacts of the proposed changes, the response period should be extended to no less that 12 weeks from the launch date of the consultation, to enable all stakeholders to review the proposals and respond appropriately to the questions asked.”
In its public consultation, the DfT says the change would “save motorists across Great Britain around £100 million a year” in MOT fees.
The consultation also seeks views on the frequency of MOTs and how to improve monitoring of emissions to tackle pollution to bolster the environmental efficiency of vehicles.
Potential new measures include introducing testing of pollutants such as particulate number (PN) and NOx to ensure diesel, petrol and hybrid cars always meet emissions requirements throughout their lifespan.
Among the proposals, the consultation will consider whether electric vehicles’ batteries should be tested to improve the safety and reliability of EVs, if additional measures should be introduced to tackle excessively loud engines, and how the DVSA can continue to crack down against MOT and mileage fraud.
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