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FIGURES compiled this week reveal that 430 potentially dangerous light
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commercial vehicles are driven away from MoT testing stations with failure or dangerous vehicle certificates every day.
This startling revelation comes after Environment Minister Mr Tony Crosland admitted in the Commons last week that no information was available from official sources because no accidents had taken place where it could be shown that a vehicle had just failed a test.
But privately computed figures show that nearly 1,300,000 cars and commercials under 30cwt are driven on the road each year after failing the test.
Environment Department figures show that nearly four million vehicles failed the test in 1974-34.8 per cent of the total taking the test. And figures from testing stations show that around one in four of these is driven away in a potentially dangerous condition.
More disturbing still is the fact that most of the vehicles driven away in these circumstances are not insured, according to the British Insurance Association.
The figures—compiled by our sister publication, Motor Trader magazine, from reports sent in by readers as a sample —show that of 1,008 cars and vans reported as having failed in January alone 338 were driven away in a dangerous condition.
Motor Trader's editor Bryan Cambray, said : "What we find of particular concern is that if our figures are projected ight across the board and onehird of the vehicles which fail re driven away in what the esters consider a dangerous ondition, this gives a total of bout 4,300 cars and vans each He went on: "It matters little rhether these vehicles are eing driven to another garage r to the owner's base or home –there are still over 4,000 ehicles on the road every day rhich are not only dangerous ut are more than likely ninsurecl." (See CM Jan 30.) "Obviously something has to e done. We feel that it is now p to the Government to make efinite proposals, proposals rhich are acceptable to the ?sting stations and to the ritish Insurance Association." Replying to a question asked ) the Commons by Mr Greville inner MP, Transport Minister Dr John Gilbert said that there was no need for present insurance legislation to be extended to make it compulsory for the cover to apply to vehicles on the roads without effective test certificates.
"The Motor Insurers Bureau already protects third parties," he said, "by securing the payment of any damages due in respect of death or personal injury.
"I see no reason, however, to remove the right of insurers to recover such payments from the policyholder where lack of proper maintenance is in issue or to extend these provisions to relate to insurance not required by law," said Dr Gilbert.
He revealed that during the years that the MoT test had been in operation the failure rate had altered no more than seven per cent.