MOT to be compulsory after 4 years? 2 Years thereafter?

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 29 Nov 2006, 19:34

I only briefly caught this piece of news on the radio. Gordon Brown's proposing having an MOT compulsory after 4 years and then every 2 years thereafter. Is that right? Can someone confirm this?

I couldn't find an article on the BBC news website.

I personally think it's a bad idea... there will definitely be more cars in unsafe conditions on the road. There is no substitute for safety. I think Brown's excuse was to help businesses... but how will that improve business when they are making less money due to the reduced number of MOTs?

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 29 Nov 2006, 19:38

I've not heard this. Every 12 months is right IMO, it's not like you need to MOT brand new cars for the first 3 years.

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 29 Nov 2006, 19:40

whats a mot?

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 29 Nov 2006, 20:01

That's some kind of car safety control, I think.
Your car has to pass it once every year in France.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 29 Nov 2006, 20:52

I can't remember what it stands for but in the UK at least a car which you've registered you're using on the road (so off road ONLY isn't applicable) you must by law have it tested for the basics.

So it's basically safe to drive, it is only the basics though and is no replacement for a service. It doesn't cost too much luckily.

It's once every year here too.

p.s - Obviously this is one of those British only threads.

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 29 Nov 2006, 22:25

Aw ok... we have that crap here in Holland as well. A new car (fresh from the shop) has 3 years untill it's first test, after which it has to return each and every year to be tested again. It's called an APK-test.
Just another way to milk more money from the driving population.

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 29 Nov 2006, 22:45

Yeah, we call it "Contrôle Technique" over here (self-explanatory).
It's around 70€ (~£50).

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 29 Nov 2006, 22:55

Yi-Long wrote:Just another way to milk more money from the driving population.

You'd rather have dangerous cars on the road??? As is the case in the far east.

You must be joking if you think otherwise everyone will have road worthy cars. I guess it could be free but then it would just mean higher taxes. Bah it's not much.

tom2681 wrote:It's around 70€ (~£50).

It's around £70 here so about the same.

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 29 Nov 2006, 23:08

bradavon wrote:
Yi-Long wrote:Just another way to milk more money from the driving population.
You'd rather have dangerous cars on the road??? As is the case in the far east.

You must be joking if you think otherwise everyone will have road worthy cars. I guess it could be free but then it would just mean higher taxes. Bah it's not much.

tom2681 wrote:It's around 70€ (~£50).
It's around £70 here so about the same.

Well... i think it's a joke that you need to check EVERY year 9which is the case in Holland), plus I believe it's quite expensive, plus we already have very high taxes, very high road-taxes on top of the normal taxes, and AMAZINGLY high taxes on top of normal petrol/gas prices. So TBH I think that it's all a bit too much, in the expense-department.

Obviously, I dont want unsafe cars on the road, but I dont think that excuse works in order to make us pay through the nose each and every time. There's a huge difference between the situation in countries you mention (eastern-europe, maybe Thailand and other 'poorer' countries where there's little to no supervision on this kinda thing), and the situation here in western europe where the police are always on the check-out already to see if there's anything wrong with a car they see passing by (lights, bumper, suspension, tires, etc)

I would just love to live in a country where you dont have to pay through the nose for everything, and dont have to obey each and every dumb-ass new rule or law...
Some place a little more relaxed.

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 29 Nov 2006, 23:15

Supposedly the safest roads in Europe are in Sweden and UK - both countries currently have the same MOT rules...

However maybe mainland Europeans are just terrible drivers?

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 30 Nov 2006, 19:20

Italians are, jeez they're awful. The French motorways you can drive over a 100Mph too, that's dangerous.

Personally I think you should be able to drive at 80mph though. I suspect it's because most people do anyway so raising it legally would just mean 90mph.

Well... i think it's a joke that you need to check EVERY year 9which is the case in Holland), plus I believe it's quite expensive, plus we already have very high taxes, very high road-taxes on top of the normal taxes, and AMAZINGLY high taxes on top of normal petrol/gas prices. So TBH I think that it's all a bit too much, in the expense-department.

Yi-long do you drive?

As a car needs looking at yearly, it's a fact. New cars under 3 years don't but they don't need a test anyway.

Sure the rest I'd agree with but not on this one.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 30 Nov 2006, 19:21

I heard in Switzerland they've VERY strict on speeding to the point most barely risk it.

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 30 Nov 2006, 20:26

Well I never knowingly speed and stick to 70mph on the dual carrigeways... partially because my car can't go very fast!

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 30 Nov 2006, 21:11

Brad wrote:The French motorways you can drive over a 100Mph too, that's dangerous.

That's news to me.
We're not Germany. We don't have Autobahns...

130 Km/h (80 mph) is the max speed limit on french motorways.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 30 Nov 2006, 21:22

Okay 80Mphs, not bad then. It was my Dad who told me who rarely sticks to speed limits so I suspect he think it's more.

The fool has 6 of the 12 allowed points. My Mum has 9, recently she got the last 3 for doing 44mph in a 30mph. I'm sure she doesn't realise how dangerous that actually is (it's more dangerous than doing 84 on a dual carriageway).

All that bollocks that's it's young drivers who're unsafe is just that bollocks. Sure the 17 year old boys fine but otherwise it's the 40+ who've been driving for years actually don't have a clue how to drive "properly", they do of course have better road sense though.

My Dad for example is far from a dangerous driver but hates sticking to the speed limits. He's forever buying things like speed camera detectors.

I have one of those too but only use when I'm going somewhere I don't know. Since being caught doing 38mph in a 30mph back in March I know constantly check my speed. I'd say 90-95% of the I'm doing the correct speed.

It's impossible to never speed, even for a few seconds.

p.s - How do the points work in France Tom?