MOT centres Faversham

The MOT test was first introduced in 1960, when the government of the UK realised that having increasing numbers of cars on the road could present significant safety risks. If the condition of these vehicles was not routinely monitored, it could lead to vehicles in dangerous condition being operated at high speed in public places. High failure rates of that initial test confirmed the government’s suspicions that many of the vehicles used on the road were in an unsafe condition, and the period of exemption from testing for new cars was reduced from ten to three years. As the numbers of vehicles on the roads continued to increase, MOT testing centres sprang up in Faversham and elsewhere to serve the needs of motorists. There are currently over 20,000 MOT testing centres available to motorists in mainland Britain, and every car must be taken to a registered centre at least once a year for inspection. MOTs Only Faversham is one of these centres. The MOT test is named after the government department which introduced the test, but no longer exists. Even though responsibility for testing vehicles now lies with the Department for Transport (DfT) and its executive arm, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), the test is still officially referred to in government documents and websites as the MOT test.

In the early days, the test was a simple process covering little more than the car’s braking, lighting and steering systems. It could conceivably have been carried out at the roadside, as no large testing equipment was required, and many checks were made by visual inspection. It does not take a great deal of imagination to picture what might happen if cars were allowed on the road without functional brakes or steering; every corner and junction would be an accident just waiting to happen. And if cars drove around without functioning lights, everything would be twice as dangerous at night. Thankfully, MOT test centres like MOTs Only Faversham are still diligently checking brakes, headlights and steering systems.

As it became apparent that the MOT test format was an effective way of identifying faulty and potentially dangerous vehicles, the scope of the test was expanded to include tyres, windscreen wipers and horns. MOT centres in Faversham dutifully stepped up to the challenge of the new style of test. One of the most significant new aspects of the test was introduced in 1977, when a car could be denied an MOT certificate on the grounds that it was structurally damaged or corroded. From this point on, if you were so unfortunate as to be involved in an accident, at least you could be sure that the strength of the structure of your vehicle had not been compromised by neglected maintenance. Now MOT test centres like MOTs Only Faversham were becoming more sophisticated, installing ramps and other testing equipment. Of course, these days testing is a high tech process requiring computers and more, but MOT centres of Faversham are up to the job.