The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency—better known as VOSA—is the government agency that is responsible for road safety by making sure that all road vehicles and MOT testing stations abide by the roadworthiness standards. In 2014 VOSA will merge with DSA—the Driving Standards Agency—to become one agency. Currently, VOSA is one of the executive divisions of the DoT—the Department of Transport.
Part of that responsibility to keep car roadworthy is to administer and oversea the MOT—Ministry of Transport—test that every single motor vehicle must take every year. The only exceptions to this rule are cars that are less than three years of age.
The Purpose of the MOT Test
You might wonder why there is a need for any kind of test, but when you think about it, it does make perfect sense. In order to get your tax disc—your vehicle road fund license—you have to have a valid MOT test certificate to show the car is roadworthy. Also, in the event of an accident, an invalid or missing MOT will render your insurance invalid too. This could not only cost you your license, but possibly jail time, too. The test covers more or less every aspect of your vehicle’s health, from the washers and wipers to the windscreen and from the brakes and chassis to the tyres. Windscreens in Cirencester can be replaced prior to the MOT test if the driver thinks there’s a problem. This applies to anywhere else in the country, too. Faulty windscreens might not always been an automatic failure of the MOT test, but they could certainly affect the outcome if the damage is severe enough. Check your windscreen before you take the car for its MOT test.
The MOT’s Validity and the Downsides of the Test
Despite many opinions the truth about the MOT test is that even though your vehicle may pass the test on the day it is taken it is no guarantee that the vehicle will be as equally roadworthy the next day. This technically means that within twenty-four hours of taking and passing the test any part of your car could break down, drop off or fall apart and render your MOT certificate completely worthless.
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