Recent announcements from the Ministry of Transport highlight a huge increase in MOT failures. The failure rate has increased from 28 per cent five years ago to 41.6%, latest figures show.
Many motorists are waiting for their annual MOT check-up to reveal any potential problems, but the MOT only covers a limited number of checks – mostly to do with road safety.
In particular repairs and maintenance to braking systems are often neglected, and there has been an increase in the number of failures over badly worn tyres.
Motorists should be aware that failure to maintain a vehicle in a roadworthy condition can invalidate their insurance. Poor maintenance and excessive tyre wear can also lead to problems in recovering losses when making a car or motorcycle accident claim.
Road safety is everyone’s responsibility, and poor maintenance can make a minor accident worse and even cause accidents in the first place.