The Six-Month MOT Extension Will Be Ending Soon
The coronavirus-inspired MOT extension will be coming to an end on August 1st, according to the Department for Transport…
End Of The MOT Extension
On March 30th, MOTs were automatically extended by six months. This was to afford drivers with an upcoming MOT the space and time required to effectively pursue social distancing; and to get around the fact that most of the nation’s garages and service centres were closed. This extension will soon come to end an end, finishing on August 1st. However, cars due an MOT before that date will still have the extension applied to them. In effect, that means MOT certificates are valid for 18 months in total.
Baroness Vere, the Roads Minister, said “as people return to our roads, it is vital that motorists are able to keep their vehicles safe. That’s why as restrictions are eased, from 1 August MOT testing will again become mandatory”. She added, “garages across the country are open and I urge drivers who are due for their MOT to book a test as soon they can.”
Dangerous Cars On The Road?
Critics have argued that the extension will, essentially, allow up to 1.6 million dangerous cars on the road. Last week, the Independent Garage Association (IGA) called for an immediate end to the automatic extension. In a statement, it said “it is not safe for cars to remain unchecked”. Similar sentiments were shared by the likes of garage chain Kwik Fit. Back in May, it estimated that some 1.1 million of the vehicles facing the automatic extension at the end of March would have failed their test; this was calculated using historic data. The figure grew to 1.6 million by June.
Roger Griggs, communications director at Kwik Fit, accepted that the extension “has been very helpful to drivers during the lockdown”. However, he said road safety needed to be prioritised over convenience. The true effects of the extension will, no doubt, become clearer from July 4th when England’s lockdown measures are substantially relaxed. Let’s hope we don’t face a spike in road accidents and collisions – after all, the RAC estimates that one in three drivers (around ten million overall) will be taking to the roads over the weekend.
Seven-Month Extension Offered On Photocard Driving Licenses – https://autoserve.co.uk/motoring-news/seven-month-extension-offered-on-photocard-driving-licenses/
These Are The Best And Worst Cars For MoT Pass Rates – https://autoserveclub.co.uk/blog/these-are-the-best-and-worst-cars-for-mot-pass-rates/
