Vehicle maintenance ‘should top the road safety agenda’
Written by: Abaranji Sivakumar, Last updated:14th February 2023
Prioritising the spread of the message regarding the importance of regular vehicle maintenance should be a top priority for the government following the announcement that first MOTs are soon to take place after four years, rather than the current three.
TyreSafe chairman Stuart Jackson said that the chancellor’s decision in his summer Budget to increase the length of time prior to a vehicle’s first MOT means that drivers must take more seriously the need to regularly inspect and maintain their vehicle, as failure to do so could lead to an increase in mechanical failures and accidents on the roads.
“At present, the evidence strongly indicates any extension of the interval between MOT tests or the deadline for the first will result in more defective and dangerous tyres and vehicles on our roads,” he argued.
“TyreSafe’s tread depth survey has already indicated nearly ten million illegal tyres will be on Britain’s roads in 2015 – we need that number to drop not rise if we are to reduce the number of tyre-related incidents.”
Mr Jackson added that cars and motorbikes are more reliable than ever before, but many safety-critical components will continue to suffer excessive wear and tear before the four-year MOT deadline is up.
This means that drivers need to keep a close eye on areas like brakes and tyres – both items that will typically need to be replaced sooner than every four years – as failure to address problems in these areas could have serious and dangerous implications.
Motorists are also reminded that it is not just their own safety that is put at risk by a failure to manage vehicle maintenance, but also that of other innocent road users and vulnerable members of the public.
To help keep up with your maintenance needs, get in touch with MyService.Expert. We offer pre-negotiated rates with thousands of nationwide dealers and garages to help you get your vehicles serviced at low cost and high efficiency.
back
