Northern Ireland MOT Clusterfuck

[Steve Walker]

In this case, while the effect is not immediately catastrophic, they are looking at many months before the problem is fixed and they have caught up with the backlog. In the meantime cars due their first MOT cannot be either MOTed or have their MOT extended (nor can taxis), as there is no mechanism for doing this; cars with expired MOTs cannot be put back on the road; the system will not let cars with expired MOTs be taxed; not all insurance companies have said that they will cover cars with expired MOTs - all of which could mean some people unable to get to and from work, hospital, childcare, schools, etc. with catastrophic effect on their employment and finances.

Some cars with dangerous defects will have their MOTs extended and lives may be lost - when that dodgy balljoint fails or rusty brake line ruptures..

For many, cars are a necessity and ensuring that they can be on the road is a pretty critical part of society's running.

SteveW

[NY]

There is an easy fix for "no mechanism" - devise one very quickly, by a temporary change in regulations. As with the relaxation of the red diesel rules at the time of the fuel strike in 2001, all it needs is a *temporary* notification that no-one will be prosecuted for failing to comply, until the backlog has started to clear, with a regulation that the car must be booked in for a test within x days of the resumption of MOT tests, even if that date happens to be some time in the future because of backlogs.

What is the official guidance for the owner of a car that is just under 3 years old? Are they seriously expected to stop driving it once it reaches its third birthday until it can be tested?

Why is is only a problem in Northern Ireland? Did a lot of NI garages buy a bad batch of lifts that were not sold elsewhere in the UK? Or are the NI authorities being more cautious than elsewhere?

I bet garages that have pits will be doing a roaring trade at the moment. I wonder if extra staff will be brought in so those centres can test cars for longer each day to process more cars.

[Steve Walker]

That is the law, yes. Although it is 4 years in NI. Although part of the UK it has its own rules and its own systems, completely independent of the rest of the UK.

Because the rest of the UK does not have government MOT centres. We have hundreds of independent and chain test centres. All who buy their own equipment. Faults in any particular make would only affect a small proportion of the test centres, so having no real effect on the public.

NI does not have any independent test centres. There are the 15 government run ones and NO others and they were all provided with the same equipment, so there is nowhere to have a car tested at all at the moment.

SteveW

[newshound]

The backlog is entirely a function of how much money you want to throw at it. I imagine there are firms who could replace a hoist with a completely different one inside about a week. They only need to replace five if they work them 24/7. They won't, of course, because it isn't necessary.

And I assume that in the Republic they have plenty of garages able to undertake tests to the MOT standards in the rest of the UK, even if they don't have the slightly specialist NI hoist.

It just requires the will, and a bit of spending. But before doing that, the powers that be need to do a proper cost benefit analysis, not run around like headless chickens saying "the sky is about to fall" (if I may mix my metaphors).

[Jethro_uk]

I think having to use an EU country to solve a UK problem after Brexit isn't really a great sell, no matter how possible, logical and sensible it might be.

[Tufnell Park]

Inspection pits can fill with fuel vapour and cause injury to those using them.

[Jethro_uk]

Already noted :)

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

newshound brought next idea :

I agree - I was thinking of buying one, but just didn't like the look of them from a safety point of view.

[Mike Humphrey]

If your car is due for its first MOT it has to be tested - and they're using the lorry testing facilities, with pits not lifts, to do that. The same for taxis. Everyone else with a car has to book a test, which will be cancelled and you'll get a 4-month extension. But if you don't book a test you'll still be done for no MOT.

Mike