Industry News from Yes Insurance

Britain's motorists could see the MoT test being taken just once every other year under plans put forward by the Davidson Review earlier this week.

The Davidson Review looks at the ways of implementing EU legislation into Britain's laws as seamlessly as possible and one of the areas affected would be the regulation of transport.

Current European requirements are for a roadworthiness test to be carried out every other year on cars that are four or more years old.

Britain currently tests 22 million vehicles annually in the UK and by moving to the EU minimum motorists would save around £465 million per year in test fees.

Government officials are due to discuss the implications of enforcing this new rule with vehicle safety experts, road safety campaign groups and the police before making any official decisions on it, but either way, little is likely to change before 2008.

AA's Ruth Bridger told the Mirror that saving money was great news for the motorists but only if it was "not at the expense of safety or the environment in terms of emission levels".

"We'd like to determine how many cars usually fail the MoT at four to six-years-old to see how many cars would fall through the net," she added.

RAC spokesman Adam Cracknell said he was concerned that a reduction in the frequency of MoTs would result in a number of "unroadworthy cars" on the road.

Motorists are advised not to compromise their safety in an effort to save money by ensuring that they have their cars checked regularly and take out adequate car insurance in case of an accident.