Soon, MoT testers might need to snap a picture of your car during your MoT test, as a new trial aims to crack down on fraudulent pass certificates.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) revealed that around 80% of MoT fraud involves "ghost MoTs." This is when a tester issues a pass certificate for a vehicle that hasn’t even been brought into the garage for testing.
Not only is this illegal, but it also puts everyone on the road at risk. Cars with serious faults could be missed, and vehicles that should be off the road could keep driving with fake MoT certificates.
A trial launched in February is already underway in some MoT centres. The process asks testers to take a photo of the entire car in the test bay, making sure the number plate is clearly visible. The photo must be taken during the test, and the system ensures no old pictures are uploaded.
The DVSA explained, “We know ghost MoTs account for nearly 80 per cent of all fraudulent MoTs, making it a clear area for us to tackle,”
“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.
“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.”
This change could free up more time for testing garages that are following the rules and help catch those who aren’t.
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