What is the point of a MOT?

Question

Everyone knows that MOTs are nothing more than a piece of paper that says your vehicle is road worthy at the time the test is taken but doesn't guarentee that as soon as you drive your vehicle off site the brakes wont fail, the exhaust won't fall off, the seat belt won't hold you in place etc etc etc. So what is the point?

To all those who dissagree with my point:

I'm not suggesting that we stop checking our cars for faults etc., My point is that an MOT is, to all intents and purposes, not worth the paper it is written/typed on. It doesn't guarantee your car will be fault free for the next 12 months nor does it doesn't guarantee (for example) that in 3 months time you won't kill someone because your brake line has failed/corroded/whatever.

Answer 1

It's as much to make sure that your vehicle WAS road worthy at the time of the test rather than be a complete rust bucket ! ! !

Answer 2

You obviously don't remember what it was like before the MOT was introduced. In those days many cars were NEVER maintained. The point is to force people to do regular maintenance, and if a car is made roadworthy once a year, the rest of the time it at least shouldn't fall to bits.

And if something catastrophic happens to it in between MOTs - well, that could happen anyway. Even if a car was MOTd every month.

Answer 3

There are many states here in the U.S. that require yearly vehicle inspections. The ones that don't still require that the owner/operater keep the vehicle to a specfied level of safety and repair, but DAMN! -- the MOT you guys have to endure is nuts by ANY standard! Hell, I'd wager half of the cars on the road here would fail the MOT at least once.

Answer 4

The point is that before the mot test, most cars were in a very dangerous state , IE, bald tyres faulty brakes , steering in a dangerous condition , So much smoke pouring out of the exhaust that you could,nt see were you were going let alone breath, gaping holes in the chassis and bodywork , I can personally remember as an apprentice at the time an old A40 Austin coming into the garage that i worked and when jacked up it fell in half . if you wish to return to them days many of us don,t

Answer 5

If you had seen the cars around before the MOT was brought in you would know. They mean that once a year a car is checked for road worthiness, so the rust buckets and death traps can be taken out.

Answer 6

Bit like going to the doctors to get your annual check up. Can you imagine if we didn't have to have our vehicles road worthiness checked,seems to me there are enough wrecks on the road already.

Just a further point about MOT s, it is now on the cards that the MOT test will be changed to 2 yearly to bring us into line with europe. Yet another retrograde idea from europe.

http://www.acedrivinginstructor.co.uk

Answer 7

True but if everyone was allowed to drive cars around till they did drop to pieces there would be a lot more accidents on the roads.
I know a lot about cars as I feel it is important to know, it is 2 tons of metal and a killer in the wrong hands. I keep on top of maintainance, but can you imagine the wrecks some people would try to drive?
That is why we have the MOT.

Answer 8

The pint is that the test checks that the vehicle is up to standard at least once a year. It's better than nothing. You won't remember the piles of rust, baling wire and woodworm that used to be around before the test started.

Answer 9

How would you feel if you were going on holiday in an aircraft that had never had a certificate of air worthiness. there is no difference the out come of a car full of people unsafe crashing head on into a new car because of defective steering or brakes, and with reference to abroad not long ago the police impounded many foreign lorries through defective parts

Answer 10

I fully agree with you.
A 12 month MOT test is pointless and a form of taxation against the motorist!
We all agree on that!

Buy a fairly newish ex Private Hire cab/taxi.
They have 2 MOT's a year, so at least it's checked more often.
Also, a used p/h cab will have been properly serviced and used as it was designed to be used.
ie.......not short litttle runs, but a good hot running engine!

Answer 11

Well if your exhaust was that close to falling off they would tell you to fix it or give you an advisory notice, same with brakes, and no one can make anyone where a seat belt. Plus if I remember rightly, no valid MOT, no insurance, no tax, it's that simple.