One-in-10 vehicles emerged from lockdown with ‘dangerous defects’

BookMyGarage has highlighted the post-lockdown aftersales opportunity open to car retailers with research which states that one-in-10 vehicles have emerged from lockdown with ‘dangerous defects’.

Reiterating a warning issued by fast-fit aftersales provider Kwik-Fit last month, it said that Government was taking a “serious safety risk” by allowing millions of motorists to keep their cars on the road until January 2021 without a current MOT.

Highlighting the risks taken by motorists in driving potentially faulty vehicles, which have gone un-tested due to the temporary suspension of MOT testing due to the COVID-19 coronavirus, the car maintenance comparison service cited Department of Transport (DfT) figures that show that defective tyres were a contributing factor in 17 fatal accidents in 2018 and caused a total of 459 accidents in the year.

Faulty brakes were to blame for more than 500 accidents and 15 fatalities, it said.

Karen Rotberg, managing director of BookMyGarage, said: “It was a sensible policy during lockdown, when vehicle use was limited, but the whole point of the MOT is to make sure dangerous vehicles are not on our roads for the sake of the driver, passengers and other road users.

“The Government is taking a serious safety risk now though and we urge motorists to take a common-sense view.”

Government announced ten days ago that no more extensions will be available for MOT tests of cars, vans and motorcycles after August 1.

Despite temporary six-month exemption to the roadworthiness test, MOT centres across the UK still carried out over two million tests during the COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown period as many motorists chose not to take advantage of the Government’s six-month exemption, however.

During April and May 2,153,768 MOTs were carried out despite the option to miss the vehicle roadworthiness test under guidance issued by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) back in March.

MOT testers classify failures as minor, major and dangerous defects, with 1-in-3 vehicles failing their MOT every day in normal conditions. 

BookMyGarage said that it expects the average failure rate during 2020 to increase as a result of the exemption.

The Top 5 'Dangerous Defects' recorded by more than 65,000 MOT testers across the UK between July and September 2019 were tyres, which made up 58.1% of all dangerous defects recorded, followed by brakes (29.3%), suspension (5.5%), chassis (2.4%) and lights (2.0%).