Garages seek help to deter drivers leaving with safety issues unresolved

Motor industry organisations have reacted to suggestions that dealerships and garages should be able to do more to deter motorists from driving off in a car or van that has unresolved safety-critical faults identified by vehicle technicians.

After the boss of a nationwide big brand motor store voiced a desire for police powers to stop vehicles with identified major faults, AM-online sought the views of some of the UK's key trade organisations.

Most have echoed the concerns, and the Institute of the Motor Industry has now warned that this could be a growing problem for road safety due to an aging car parc and the increased costs of living, and it has called for a Government-led industry consultation.

Halfords boss Graham Stapleton has called on the next government to do more to enforce road safety legislation, and he suggests that vehicles that leave workshops with safety-critical issues unrepaired could be logged on a national database so that police can tackle the drivers.

Raising awareness of the risks is important, but Stapleton also wants "major action on enforcement".

“For example, we have a farcical situation right now whereby a vehicle can come into a garage, be found to have illegal tyres or brakes, and yet there is nothing to stop it from being driven away.

“One solution would be for all garages to be mandated to upload registration numbers of offending vehicles to the Automatic Number Plate Recognition system used by police forces.”

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) told AM-online its priority is to help everyone keep their vehicle safe to drive, and pointed out that it does provide data to the police that can be used for targeting unsafe vehicles, including those that do not have MOTs or that have just failed an MOT for immediately dangerous items.

The Motor Ombudsman, which oversees several thousand garages which have signed up to its Trading Standards-approved service and repair code of practice, said that motorists should be detered from taking an unrepaired vehicle onto the road if they knew its faults had been recorded centrally, however if such tactics lacked the full support of legislators and the industry it could inadvertantly leave more unsafe or illegal vehicles on the road.

Bill Fennell, chief ombudsman and managing director of The Motor Ombudsman, said: “Unsafe and/or illegal vehicles on UK roads is obviously a concern, and further research would give a better understanding as to the extent and reasons, and with cooperation from the industry, i.e. the DfT/DVSA, recommendations could be made from the evidence provided.”

He pointed out that motorists driving knowingly sub-standard or illegal vehicles will be invalidating their insurance, putting the safety of themselves and others at risk, and leavng themselves exposed to legal action should the vehicle be involved in an accident.

Fennell (pictured) advised workshops concerned about this situation to make consumers aware about the visible and hidden dangers of driving with parts, such as brakes and tyres, that are not fit for purpose, and to give the opportunity for these to be changed before a vehicle is taken away.

"Of course, if a consumer chooses to remove their vehicle without undertaking any repairs, and a business is concerned, a repairer can follow up with the vehicle owner to offer their recommendations in relation to changing the necessary components, and to explain the potential implications of not doing so.

"This is of course subject to the business having both the consumer’s contact details, and the necessary permissions to communicate with them,” added Fennell.

At the Institute of the Motor Industry, its chief executive Steve Nash told AM-online that garages should provide customers with a written notice outlining any safety risks and clearly advising against the use of the car until repairs have been undertaken.

They should then get the customer to sign for receipt of this guidance.

Nash (pictured) added: "The IMI naturally shares the concerns about vehicles which have had potentially dangerous issues identified being driven away from garages without the necessary repairs having been undertaken.

"We believe this is an existential problem, undoubtedly exacerbated by the ongoing cost of living crisis, along with the oldest vehicle parc in recent memory.

"It is therefore likely to be a growing problem and certainly needs urgent attention from the authorities."

In some cases vehicle owners need some time to shop around to get an affordable deal on expensive major repairs, but Nash said most garages will be prepared to help with affordability to avoid an unsafe car being driven away.

Increasingly, in national repair chains and the franchised workshop sector customers are given the opportunity to spread the cost of significant bills through short-term interest-free finance services such as Bumper and Payment Assist.

Nash said it should fall to the DVSA, under the direction of the Department for Transport, to enact any solutions and he would like to see industry consultation to ensure that garages would be able to support any additional reporting that would be required.

The DVSA responded that its role is to ensure that MOTs are conducted correctly and it encourages consumers to listen to the advice of MOT testers to help keep their vehicle safe.

"Our guidance makes clear that MOT standards are the minimum safety standards - and vehicles should not be used on the road when they do not meet these standards," said a DVSA spokesman. Between MOTs, it is important that vehicles are maintained, he added.

"Driving a vehicle that is unroadworthy runs the risk of causing a serious incident, endangers the driver, passengers and other road users."

DVSA said it already provides technical support and expertise to the police on joint operations involving light vehicles, and the police does take action, including prohibition and issuance of penalties where unroadworthy vehicles are found.

The police's targeting of unsafe vehicles can include ANPR use.