Motorists may be unaware of new MOT test changes introduced earlier this year, with drivers securing assessments in September and October affected. Earlier this year, the DVSA started asking MOT test garages to take a photo of vehicles in the testing bay before undertaking an exam.
To start an MOT test, examiners will need to take a photo of the car with a phone or tablet with pictures saved against the vehicle record. The move is designed to cut down on fraud and prevent a spate of so-called ‘ghost MOTs’. These are pass certificates that have been issued by garages even if the car was never actually examined by mechanics.
The practice allows vehicles in potentially dangerous condition to stay on UK roads instead of being flagged up and any issues fixed.
The DVSA said: “We know ghost MOTs account for nearly 80% of all fraudulent MOTs, making it a clear area for us to tackle. Knowing if a vehicle is where it should be at the time of test should reduce the number of MOTs carried out when the vehicle isn’t present, or isn’t the same vehicle as the details being entered into MTS.
“Potentially, both authorised examiners and DVSA will be able to see the images stored against the test record, and this will help all of us to crack down on fraud.
“It will enable us to focus our efforts on helping garages do the right thing, but also free up time to focus on those who are not and deal with them accordingly.”
September is among the busiest periods for MOT tests with around three million exams predicted this month. October is equally busy, with road users urged to book ahead to ensure they can secure a test before their certificate expires.
It is against the rules to drive on UK roads without a valid certificate, meaning those who fail to secure a slot before their expiry date won’t be allowed to drive. Garages were previously told to just take a photo of the car’s number plate but the DVSA has encouraged centres to instead photograph the entire vehicle.
However, the DVSA has explained that this is just the start, with more technology likely to be adopted later down the line.
They added: “Our original aim with capturing images of vehicles was to ultimately prevent fraudulent, ghost MOTs happening, and we think this method will be a better way of allowing us to do this. Although we’re focusing on the image capture of the whole vehicle right now, we still want to see how we might be able to use technology to interpret the image capture – for example checking the location, the registration plate or vehicle type.
“However, we are taking this one step at a time – we know many of you found this useful last time, but we want to start with getting the basics working.”
