Three more join Pro-MOTe

The Unite trade union, Drivers Edge UK and Autoglass are the latest organisations to join in support of the Pro-MOTe campaign launched last month to stop proposals to reduce MOT frequency. There are now 28 organisations supporting Pro-MOTe including the AA, RAC, Brake, British Cycling, the NTDA and the RMI, as well as Kwik Fit, Halfords and Aviva. Transport Ministers have said they want to review the existing frequency of MOT testing which sees cars over three years old tested annually.

Declaring its support for the campaign, Matthew Mycock, managing director at Autoglass, said: “Extending the time between MOTs to two years makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Annual tests are fundamental to guaranteeing the safety of the driver and other road users. They enable garages to trouble-shoot any problems on vehicles before they become a danger. There are certain things we all procrastinate over, but delaying MOTs should not be one of them. Working with Pro-MOTe, we are actively reminding motorists to keep their vehicle in a roadworthy condition to help make our roads as safe as possible.”

Roger Maddison, Unite National Officer for the Automotive Industry said: “This proposed change to the current practice of yearly testing will not only have a devastating effect to thousands of workers in the car repair industry but is a major backward step in road safety. Unite whole heartedly supports the campaign to retain yearly safety checks. “

Wale Yusuff, Director of Driver’s Edge UK, said: “Scrapping the annual MOT test would be terrible for the safety of drivers throughout the UK, especially new & young drivers. That’s why we’re supporting Pro-MOTe in their campaign to keep the MOT test running”

The Pro-MOTe campaign, last month published a report entitled “Dangerous, Expensive and Unwanted: The case against reducing MOT frequency”. It showed that:

• if annual testing is scrapped the number of road deaths is likely to rise by more than 250 each year and serious injuries by 2,200 – and even keeping annual tests but delaying the first test from three years to four risks an additional 35 deaths on the road every year.
• any saving to the motorist in terms of fees resulting from the scrapping of annual MOT tests would be far outweighed by the likely increases in insurance premiums and increased repairs costs.
• 94% of drivers think the MOT Test is very (71%) or quite (23%) important to road safety – and up to 40,000 jobs in the MOT industry, including a large number of apprenticeships, would be at risk if annual testing is scrapped.

More than 40 MPs have signed a motion in Parliament (Early Day Motion 2308) calling for the proposal to reduce MOT frequency to be scrapped.

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