At the time of Brexit, there were a couple of changes being talked about regarding the MOT. Some of these were significant and others were unnecessary. One of the most common thoughts among people was cancelling the MOT altogether. Although this was a recurring thought, it was something that the team responsible for the MOT was strongly against. They believed and stated with conviction that the MOT was responsible for keeping the roads safe and vehicles in decent condition.
One constant point that the DOT even agreed to was that the test needed to be improved. It was an old test created in a time where vehicles weren’t serviced as frequently as they currently are. Additionally, cars were quite basic and they didn’t have any fail-safes to prevent accidents. The MOT tests consisted of only checking the basics of the car. They examined the engine, the coolant, the amount of oil that should be in the vehicle and if the emission standards were met. They checked other smaller issues like the windscreen and smooth opening and closing of the doors.
In a recent report, the MOT test mentioned that it was upgraded and other tests were added to it. The department now made it a point to check the details of the brakes and the functioning of them. They make sure they review the pads and the brakes so that they are working right.
Improvements were also made to the terminology used when referring to issues with the car. Initially, cars didn’t have various statuses that mentioned the severity of the issue, now they did and their owners would know whether it was bad and could result in failing the MOT. People whos failed the MOT had to make sure they cleared it before that car was allowed to be driven on the streets. Furthermore, they would have to pay a fine if they wanted to apply for the test again.
Other changes included under-inflated tired and the general lights of the car. The lighting system that used to be followed by cars changed with the more recent models, and that was something that needed to be checked. There were other rules about the tires and they needed to have the right amount of threading at the time of their inspection. Cars that were manufactured with day time running lights, needed to have them working at the time of their test. Furthermore, the reverse and brake lights needed to be functional as well.
There were also talks about reducing the time that vehicles would have to wait before they began working on the MOT process. Currently, vehicles begin their annual MOT test post three years of being on the road. Now, there were talking about moving the test to four years but that would only be confirmed post the Brexit move. All vehicles plying on the roads needed to have their MOT in place to avoid paying giant fines or dealing with the other penalties.
