Photographs will now need to be taken by MOT testers as part of a new move aimed at ousting fraud within the testing process, while also preventing errors.
Announced by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), testers will need to take a picture – using a phone or tablet – of the car they are conducting the test on. They will be prompted to do so after the VIN or number plate is entered into the system at the start of the process.
The initiative’s main aim is to combat fraudulent MOTs, especially ghost MOTs where no test is carried out but the car is signed off as having passed. These account for nearly 80% of all fake MOTs “making it a clear area for us to tackle”, said Chris Price, head of MOT policy at the DVSA.
He added: “Whilst it’s only a small number of testers who bring disrepute to the industry by committing fraudulent MOTs, it does happen, and this undermines the important work the rest of you do every day to keep vehicles safe.
“Knowing if a vehicle is where it should be at the time of test should reduce the number of MOTs carried out when the vehicle isn’t present, or isn’t the same vehicle as the details being entered into [the system].
“Potentially, both authorised examiners and DVSA will be able to see the images stored against the test record, and this will help all of us to crack down on fraud. It will enable us to focus our efforts on helping garages do the right thing, but also free up time to focus on those who are not and deal with them accordingly.”
Currently in prototype phase, the DVSA’s future aim is to pair the technology with AI so that it can check the location the picture was taken, as well as the registration plate and vehicle type of the car in frame and match it against the car being tested.
The move will also help to prevent errors from occurring, claimed Price, especially in cases where an MOT has been entered for the wrong car due to error – mainly when multiple cars are being worked on one after the other.
He said: “We want to create a level playing field for all, where high quality is the default, and the scourge of fraudulent or substandard testing is minimised. Of course, there is no one thing that will achieve that – but we believe that having a photo at test could be a really helpful enabler. “
For more information, click here.
Go to comments