Due to the current unprecedented times, the government has issued a 6-month temporary exemption from MOT testing in the fight against coronavirus (COVID-19), which could prove to be costly to millions of motorists.
Although people are advised to stay at home and avoid travel, it is essential for frontline workers and those in delivery services to carry on as normal. This is why a 6-month exemption has been put in place for travelling to work as well as for the general public in regards to shopping for necessities.
The new legislation came into immediate effect from 30th March for 12 months. All road users should know that if their vehicle is older than three years, it will require an MOT. However, the new government rules state that all cars, including motorcycles and vans, which would require an MOT test are exempted from a test if it is due on or after 30th March 2020.
Despite this new exemption, the government announcement has stated that road users “can still be prosecuted if driving unsafe vehicles”. Thus, if a vehicle is found to be unsafe to drive, road users could be fined up to £2,500 along with 3 penalty points for driving in a dangerous condition. Further to this, for each bald or defective tyre, motorists can be fined up to £2,500 whilst all 4 tyres can hand drivers a fine of up to £10,000.
In response to the importance of tyre maintenance, etyres MD, Travis Coleman said: “The majority of our customers inform us that they don’t check their tyres on their own, it is usually a recommendation from the garage to replace tyres either as part of a service or to pass an MOT. If these recommendations aren’t happening, there’s going to be a lot of vehicles on the roads with tyres that aren’t road legal”.
As this law has been put in place for essential travel, it is still vital that motorists keep their vehicles in roadworthy condition if they were due an MOT before the law came into effect. Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary stated that “safety is key… garages will remain open if you need repairs”.