The MOT Test: Five Reasons Your Car’s Annual Wellness Check is Important
Disclaimer: This is a pre-written guest post, published on behalf of Broadway Autocentres. All thoughts, opinions, and advice provided are those of the writer.
The annual MOT test for cars older than three can be equated to an annual physical test or – in more modern terms – a 'wellness check' for your vehicle. Just as you need some downtime now and then in your busy life (running around after the children can be exhausting) so does your usually reliable car! The MOT test was introduced in 1960 when cars (and the roads to accommodate them) suddenly increased, from being quite rare commodities only owned by the well-to-do. The increase in car ownership, rapid spread of road networks, and the ageing out of many of the vehicles on the roads, all meant that deaths and injuries from road accidents shot up. The MOT test was the government's attempt to reduce these incidents – and it has, by and large, worked well, leaving the UK with one of the safest road safety records in the world. Let's have a look at five other reasons why your car's annual MOT Test is important.
It's A Legal Requirement
The MOT test is so vital to the continued safety of the UK's roads because it is enshrined in law. If your car doesn't have an MOT certificate, you cannot legally drive it on the public roads. But it is more than that: the roadworthiness of the car is what's mandated by law; the MOT test certificate is just the third-party proof of your roadworthiness. But if you are stopped by law enforcement and your vehicle is found to be in breach of any of the items on the MOT checklist, you will be found to be in breach of the law, even if your MOT certificate is still valid. In other words, the MOT test is a minimum standard which all vehicles must meet at all times, rather than a high point to aspire to once a year.
It Ensures Your Car Is Safe
Because of the above legal mandate, your MOT test ensures that your car is safe to use on the UK's roads. This means that your car is unlikely to break down suddenly, lose steering or have the brakes fail on you, so you can drive with the reassurance that you, your passengers and your car are as safe as possible.
Peace of Mind On the Roads
But the peace of mind offered by the MOT test goes further than this. Not only is your car safe on the UK's roads, you know that other people's cars are safe too, as they must have kept to the same high standards. So, no matter if you are living and working in Buckinghamshire, or holidaying and touring around the Lake District or Cumbria – wherever you are in the UK – you can be sure that if a car is on the public highways and roads, they will have an up-to-date MOT test certificate that helps to ensure that you, they, and every other road user, from a HGV driver to a humble pedestrian, are that much safer.
It's Ever Evolving
The MOT test has not remained the same since the 1960s. It is constantly under review with new items being added to the test (such as emissions levels, tyre inflation and the presence of catalytic convertors, to name just a few moderately recent additions) or taken away if no longer deemed necessary (checks related to chokes, have been removed as they became obsolete, for example). This serves to ensure that the MOT test is always fit for purpose. As car technology evolves, so do the MOT requirements— making it more important to stay on top of your vehicle's roadworthiness.
You Can't Get Insured Without It
Finally, you can't get an insurance policy without an up-to-date MOT certificate. And legally, you cannot drive on public roads without some kind of insurance. So, to retain your peace of mind and freedom of movement on the UK's roads, make sure you know when your MOT test is due, and book it as soon as you can.
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