Analysis of the latest DVSA data by BookMyGarage, has shown that almost 1 in 10 cars on the road today could be officially classified as having ‘dangerous defects’.
Department of Transport figures have revealed that defective tyres were a contributing factor in 17 fatal accidents in 2018 and caused a total of 459 accidents in the year. Faulty brakes were to blame for more than 500 accidents and 15 fatalities.
Karen Rotberg, Managing Director of BookMyGarage, said: “It was a sensible policy during lockdown, when vehicle use was limited, but the whole point of the MOT is to make sure dangerous vehicles are not on our roads for the sake of the driver, passengers and other road users. The Government is taking a serious safety risk now though and we urge motorists to take a common-sense view.”
Testers classify failures as minor, major and dangerous defects, with 1 in 3 vehicles reportedly failing their MOT every day in normal conditions. BookMyGarage expects the average failure rate during 2020 to increase as a result of the exemption.
The Top 5 ‘Dangerous Defects’ recorded by more than 65,000 MOT testers across the UK between July and September 2019 was said to be tyres, which made up 58.1% of all dangerous defects recorded, followed by brakes (29.3%), suspension (5.5%), chassis (2.4%) and lights (2.0%).
Top 5 most common dangerous defects
| Defect category | Overall % failed tests | Overall % of defects | Dangerous defects % of tests | Dangerous defects % of defects |
| Tyres | 6.8% | 11.6% | 5.5% | 58.1% |
| Brakes | 8.1% | 16.8% | 3.1% | 29.3% |
| Suspension | 9.7% | 18.1% | 0.6% | 5.5% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 4.3% | 6.8% | 0.3% | 2.4% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 13.9% | 27.0% | 0.3% | 2.0% |
BookMyGarage has strongly advised motorists not to risk ‘maxing out’ on the 1 August exemption if they can, and get their vehicles tested as soon as possible.
The DVSA announced last week that it is ending the exemption on 1 August, which means millions could still be driving without a valid certificate until end of January 2021.
