SKELMERSDALE autobody repair specialists The Karl Vella Group have written to the Transport Secretary raising concerns over Government proposals to change the amount of times a vehicle must have an MOT test.
The Group, which has a site on Gillibrands Industrial Estate, has told Justine Greening MP that allowing cars to have a test just once every two years would see more dangerous cars on the road, cost jobs and hit drivers harder in the long run.
There’s also plans to exempt all pre-1960 manufactured vehicles from the statutory MOT test altogether.
Karl Vella MBE, Managing Director, said: “We have big concerns about what the Government is planning.
“Whilst it is true that cars are now generally safer than they were when MOTs were first introduced, faults can develop over a 12 month period, and they need to be brought to the owner’s attention.
“Newer vehicles, just like older vehicles, need to have regular checks because they are prone to ‘teething problems’.
“Leaving it 24 months could turn a relatively simple issue to fix into a more complicated one, and that will hit motorists in the pocket.
“As a business, we’re also concerned about how this may affect jobs in the industry, an industry which as many people will know has had a tough time in the past few years.
“The Government needs to think very carefully about the implications of changing the regularity of MOT tests and not do anything which could see more vehicles driving round with serious faults on them.”
