The numerous and expensive costs associated with drivers’ failure to renew their MOT certificate notwithstanding, it has been revealed that an unusually rising number of motorists are still missing their renewal dates.

Failure penalty

An MOT certificate is crucial to the validity of one's car insurance. It is also important in determining the validity of a driver's third party cover, without which one risks being charged and penalized and such a penalty fine could be as high as £1,000, even though it only costs £54 to renew the MOT. In view of it's impact on a car insurance policy motorists, perhaps, need not be reminded of the importance of making sure they are always insured while on the road. But without a valid MOT they are automatically rendered uninsured if found out.

The issue of uninsured drivers has been exhaustively discussed and their menace remains as worrying today as it was months or years ago. Thus, the failure to have a valid insurance while driving has provoked stern government response with measures to tackle this problem kept on the front burner. Those failing to renew their MOT certificates and getting their car insurance invalidated in the process are, as such, adding to the problem which costs the country millions of pounds.

Liability

As an uninsured driver there is also the risk of having to foot one’s bills in the event of an accident and this could  amount to more than £2,000 on average. Even as all these penalties look serious enough to deter any would-be uninsured driver from driving without an insurance cover, there is the possibility of a convicted motorist having penalty points endorsed on their license or being banned from the road. Conviction for motoring offences could also become a major liability for a driver when trying to take out car insurance, as most insurers would avoid offering them a cover. The few that would not mind extending such offer would do so at a prohibitive cost.

With all the above costs one wonders why anyone would fail to realise that they are walking into trouble by not having their MOT expiry date committed to memory and acting to ensure that they get it renewed ahead of time. But up to 4.7 million or 20 per cent of drivers in Britain forget their MOT renewal date, with more than 3 million going ahead to risk all by hitting the road knowing full well the repercussion.

Safety reasons

One of the tragedies confronting us is our nonchalance or refusal to treat very essential needs with the urgency they deserve. Rather than putting a car without a valid MOT on the road there are other options we could adopt in order not to put our safety and of others at risk. But by driving a car whose road worthiness we are unable to ascertain we are putting ourselves lives and those of other road users at risk.

In the meanwhile, there is unfortunately no mechanism in place to remind us that our MOT test is due for renewal. What this means is that we must endeavour to device our own reminder so as not to fall foul of the law and earn ourselves expensive costs we would rather wish to avoid.