A PROPOSAL to introduce testing for road worthiness of vehicles in the island (like the MoT in the UK) did not gain the support of Port St Mary Commissioners.
The Department of Infrastructure’s project co-ordinator, Chris Hannon, wrote explaining that the department was consulting on the proposal to assess support for testing of vehicles’ road worthiness at various ages.
Commissioner Rebecca Sinfield asked: ‘Do we have a big problem in the Isle of Man with unchecked vehicles?’
Ms Sinfield pointed out: ‘We do not do the mileage in the Isle of Man [compared with the UK], we do not get the wear and tear.’ Also, ‘testing vehicles is not going to change if the driver is bad,’ she said.
Clerk Jason Roberts said: ‘Of the fatal accidents, 10 per cent are due to vehicle faults.’
‘Of those 10 per cent, how long was it since they had been tested before an accident occurred?’asked Mr Roberts.
At the moment, if vehicles are found to to be not roadworthy, there is a ‘hefty fine’, said the clerk.
‘Quite a lot [of accidents] are caused by vehicles they have tested, commercial vehicles,’ said commissioner Chris Kinley. This would generate ‘income for government’, said commissioner Helen Kinvig, and for mechanics, added commissioners’ chairman Bernadette McCabe.
Commissioner Alec Merchant said: ‘In the UK if you get test certificate [of road worthiness] there is no guarantee against garages issuing dodgy certificates.’
He added there were problems with the scheme in the UK and said: ‘There is no point importing that to the Isle of Man.
‘Responsibility [for keeping their car road worthy] lies with the driver.
‘I’m not sure bringing in an MoT will improve or alter it.
‘People who ignore it [the road worthiness of their car] here will continue to ignore it.’
