MOT tests could be getting even tougher – meaning one in 13 cars will fail instantly
The MOT could face yet another shake-up, with cars subject to outstanding recalls at risk of an instant fail
THE MOT could soon see even tougher regulations introduced - despite already seeing a major shake up in May last year.
Government is considering changing the roadworthiness system to address the large number of cars with outstanding recall notices currently on British roads.
According to , the DVSA and Department for Transport are looking to potentially alter the MOT rules to encourage owners to act on recall notices sent out by manufacturers.
MOT and recall record databases are currently separate, but if the two were aligned, any vehicle with an outstanding recall notice could immediately be deemed unroadworthy.
While dealers aren't legally allowed to sell cars with recall faults, there is currently no law specifically forcing motorists to have manufacturer issues fixed themselves, meaning millions of potentially dangerous vehicles could be on the road.
But owners are ultimately responsible for ensuring their car is kept in safe condition, and according to the , failing to get a recall issue fixed could impact on an insurance claim or even see you fined for driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition.
Around 2.39million UK cars are thought to currently be subject to an outstanding recall.
Change of ownership and drivers ignoring manufacturers' letters can mean notices are left unaddressed for long periods of time.
If MOT rules were tightened to mean cars with outstanding recall notices are deemed not roadworthy, around one in 13 vehicles would instantly fail their next check.
Neil Barlow, DVSA head of vehicle engineering, told Auto Express: "DVSA will work with the Department for Transport to determine how the MOT system can be adjusted to cover outstanding safety recalls in the future.
“It would make logical sense where appropriate for the MOT to be aligned with the safety recalls system."
An updated system would need to provide some lenience to motorists to prevent cars from failing an MOT in the days and weeks immediately after a recall has been issued.
It's likely the scheme would see drivers issued with a warning following their check, and a fail notice would occur if the issue was still not fixed the next time the car was due for MOT.
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Road safety experts believe linking the MOT and recall systems together could help to remove dangerous vehicles from the road, but changes need to be fair to motorists.
Rebecca Ashton, IAM RoadSmart Head of Driver Behaviour, told Sun Motors: “We believe the current system could benefit for review as there are many vehicles which have not been acted upon - this could be due to change of ownership and or not notifying any change of address.
"The MOT system might be a very good way to flag the recall up to owners, however it should be used as an advisory notification rather than an immediate fail.
"An outstanding recall should only be considered as a fail if the fault is of high risk to safety or the owners have been notified on a previous MOT.”
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May last year saw one of the biggest shake-ups to the annual MOT test by the DVSA in the last 60 years since it was first introduced.
Dirty diesels are now being targeted with tougher smoke limits and new checks to see if diesel particulate filters are actually working.
Defects are also now classed as dangerous, major and minor - with cars categorised as dangerous or major automatically failing the MOT.