Testing times for MoT centres…

TWO workers at a Co Antrim MoT vehicle testing centre have been suspended in a probe into “irregularities”. This is not the first time I’ve heard of “irregularities” involving the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency. The DVTA promises impartial testing, but with stories surfacing about the manner in which some tests have been conducted, it begins to raise questions about the agency’s ability to retain public confidence. If you have an MoT horror story, publish it in the comments – but read the note at the bottom first!Recently, one motorist whose car was failed at a Co Antrim centre told me his story. After watching his own car inexplicably fail a brake test, he returned the day afterwards, without having touched the car – and it passed.

There’s much more to this particular story, which you might be able to read about later this week.

Last year, MoT workers went on strike causing massive backlogs that led to some businesses experiencing severe financial difficulties and causing inconvenience for many drivers and workers.

If consumers are not prepared to be treated shabbily any more, and DVTA staff are being suspended (and we’d all like to know why, I’m sure), then the backlash starts here:

Now that evidence of less than acceptable standards is beginning to emerge, is it not time for the Government to consider privatising vehicle testing centres, as occurs in the rest of the UK?

Drivers deserve a better service.

NOTE: If you write about a bad experience you’ve had with getting your car MoT’d, please refrain from naming the testing centre or staff member, as it could leave Slugger in legal difficulties.

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