Newsbot Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 Motorists are warned police will be on the lookout for unroadworthy cars being driven on the island. Source : http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/...man/6072822.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonan3 Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 I think they'd be better starting with all the vehicles that appear to have been quietly abandoned around the streets of Douglas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyorhythm Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 "Without the compulsory MOT cert " manditory in the UK it would surprise me if thousands of cars on the island do not have minor faults, with brakes, steering ,tyres, lights, road worthiness is left to the drivers conscience/budget, road safety is not priority on the island, loads of people on mobile phones, defective lights, The build up to TT week we hear the usual safety hype , and dont drink and drive at Christmas, but no brake pads and bald tyres , goes widely unnoticed, a three year old car can be just as dangerous FACT........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Peters Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 Agreed. But because they drive slowly, they think they're safe. I think this should be a WEEKLY police/DoT operation, and in different locations each time. Narrow roads and cars with no offside headlight/taillight don't mix. You think it's a motorbike in the dark until you have to swerve to avoid a rancid old Transit van straddling the centre line. I also saw a yellow construction truck in Kirk Michael last week that looked as though someone had thrown a brick at the windscreen - completely crazed right in front of the driver, yet it was still being used in a busy village with schoolkids trying to cross - the driver can't have seen much at all!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Ayres Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 If a car stops doing something it gets fixed. Isn't that the best you can do? Beside there being no MOT equivalent here, what about emissions that are tested every year in the UK? Just how dirty are our vehicles as far as the environment is concerned. I realise the air gets changed frequently here but where does all our shit go to? Some poor bastard is choking to death in Cumbria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneWolf Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 Im not totally convinced about the merits of compulsory MOT testing. There are some real bangers on the roads in England. Besides, it isnt really an excuse to say your car is unsafe because there isnt a compulsory test. Its aways possible, in addition to your regular servicing, to have a safety check made at your local garage or main dealer. I do at the start of every winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 The BBC web page headline doesn't seem to make proper sense. Police search unroadworthy cars But the story isn't really about searching or even searching for cars. I wonder who writes the Manx news for the BBC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 faulty lights seem much more common on the Island than across (inc brake, tail and head) - I also think that more cars have badly adjusted main beams though that may be a wrong impression due to Manx roads. Many would also fail UK emission standards esp poorly adjusted diesels which pour out black smoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 I wonder if the faulty lights are due to the bumps! Quite a few cars seems to have the Left hand side not working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDave Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 I was following a Rover Metro the other day (the ones with the hydrolastic suspension) that was crabbing up the road. On closer inspection all the suspension fluid must have leaked out on one side as it was all the way down on one side. To make matters worse, someone was learning to drive in this car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x-in-man Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 The UK MoT was, and still is a waste of time. A MoT test is only good for the day it was issued. I was once stopped for having no brake light, seconds after leaving a testing station with a fresh MoT. The driving test should include a section on car servicing, checking your car, and the dangers of not doing so. Too many people buy a car and never give a second thought as to its up keep. The DoT and Police should borrow as bus one day, sit on the mountain road, in the fog and rain and stop every car with one headlight, no back light etc. Bus all the drivers into town to get a new bulb, and make them make their own way back to fix their cars. Call it the 'got a light' campaign. People will soon get the message to check their cars and carry spares. New drivers cars should be subject to a yearly check - to make sure they are keeping their motors in good condition - all the while they have an R plate showing. This should be linked in with checking for 'Kev'ed up bolt ons' that may invalidate their insurance. All insurance companies ask if the car is as makers spec. Alloy wheels may not be makers spec, and in the event of a claim, will refuse to pay out if the car is not in the stated insured condition. R plates should also mean that the car can be stopped for no other reason to check tyres, lights and brakes etc. Lets no forget stopping cars for not using rear fog lamps, or using front fog lamps incorrectly. While we are at it, fog is wet, .... use your windscreen wipers in the fog, all cars have a timed setting, or a sigle wipe function. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDave Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 The UK MoT was, and still is a waste of time. A MoT test is only good for the day it was issued. I know it's not a guarantee of roadworthiness, but at the very least it does ensure that the vehicle is maintained at least once a year. I wonder how many people have been driving around here with knackered shocks for 2 or more years? I've seen many cars over here that are simply not serviced regularily and even one I saw had sills so rotten that the whole chassis flexed when you stepped on it! At least an MOT can weed out some of the more seriously unroadworthy cars. Sure we all know that sudden failures can occur, but the majority of unroadworthy cars have deteriorated over a long period of time, not simply something that was ok yesterday and is dangerous today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Peters Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 I agree with Big Dave. The worry in the UK is that the MoT test is just a licence for unscrupulous garages to make money by faking the need for 'urgent repairs'. If it was introduced here, I believe that DoT Test Centres should be completely independent of the garage trade and not allowed to do any work on cars themselves. 'Secret shoppers' could be used to ensure that testers weren't directing people to any particular 'favoured' service agent. If the only thing a test did was weed out rotten chassis and point out blown bulbs, worn suspension and the like, it would enhance road safety - at the moment some people drive cars until they turn to rust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_Naylor Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 I was once asked to have a look at a young ladies car, a Ford Fiesta it was, she said the brakes had gone crappy, the reason for the crappy brakes was quite obvious upon inspection, the brake pad on one side had worn away completely to the metal and had then continued to bore its way through the brake disc and out the other side until the disc completely shattered. We need an MOT sooner rather than later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyorhythm Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 An MOT test is just the start of safety for your chosen mode of transport, car, bike ,tractor lorry, It is long overdue for the island, at least then you only have 364 days to check it yourself, after its manditory test, why could any reasonable driver be against it!! safety first!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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