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With car thefts on the rise, drivers are being urged to do more to deter thieves using high-tech methods to steal vehicles.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported a 25% year-on-year increase in car thefts in May, but FleetCheck says awareness of the methods that can be employed to stop relay thefts, for example, remain patchy among vehicle operators and the general public.

Peter Golding, managing director at the fleet management software company, said: “Feedback from our client base indicates that fleets often know thefts are an increasing problem but while some are being very proactive, others are poorly informed about the methods that thieves are now using and how to deter them as is the general public.

“We’d like to see much more of an acknowledgment that this is becoming a genuine issue and agreement on best practise that can help to stop private and company cars and vans being stolen.”

Many of the most effective methods of protection against high-tech car theft are relatively simple and inexpensive.

“In the case of relay theft, it can be an issue of putting the key into ‘sleep’ mode, which some models allow, or placing it inside a Faraday wallet to disrupt the signal, something that costs just a few pounds,” Golding explained.

“Interestingly, some security experts recommend meeting the high-tech approach of the thieves with pretty low-tech responses.

“If someone is creeping onto your drive armed with a laptop, then an old-fashioned steering lock stands a good chance of deterring them.”

He says that fleets need to brief drivers about the potential for high-tech theft and explain what is needed from them in terms of protection.

“This is an area of fleet management where driver buy-in is crucial but can be difficult to generate,” he added.

“For company car and van drivers, a car theft can be seen as an inconvenience rather than a major worry and employers need to make it clear that they expect certain measures to be met, such as where vehicles are parked and keys kept, for example.”

The same rules apply to privately owned cars. Drivers need to be more aware of the dangers and what they can do to protect their vehicles. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Almost a third (28%) of working adults are still hybrid working with one-in-six (16%) solely working from home, potentially increasing an employer’s grey fleet risk.

Venson Automotive Solutions says that if an employee’s place of work clause in their contract has changed to home working, their privately owned car will automatically join the ranks of the grey fleet, when used for work related travel.

Employers who are unaware of their legal obligations to ensure staff owned vehicles used for work related travel are properly maintained and legally compliant, may be unknowingly missing duty of care requirements, it warns. 

Simon Staton, client management director of Venson Automotive Solutions, explained: “Employers have a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees.

“With around half (49%) of UK drivers admitting to skipping essential servicing and vehicle repairs amidst the cost-of-living crisis, it is more important than ever that processes are in place to manage aspects such as driver licence checking, insurance validity, vehicle condition and mileage audit amongst grey fleet vehicles.

“Businesses and fleet managers, therefore, need to review their Driving for Work policies as working from home looks set to stay for some businesses.”

It is not only service and maintenance of grey fleets that businesses must consider. Grey fleet vehicles are often older than company owned cars so can contribute disproportionately to a company’s carbon footprint.

By promoting workplace benefits like salary sacrifice schemes, not only can employees make savings over a retail deal for electric vehicle, but the implementation of such an arrangement supports the ‘green’ agenda for businesses, says Venson.

“Of course, for many employees, buying a new car is a stretch just now,” said Staton. “The key benefits of salary sacrifice, however, include a fixed all-inclusive monthly fee so drivers don’t get unexpected maintenance costs.

“Employees also get National Insurance savings, ‘hassle-free’ acquisition, with no credit check or deposit needed and fleet discounts and for some organisations a beneficial VAT position reflected in monthly costs.”

He concluded: “With hybrid and homeworking becoming a permanent fixture more cars risk edging into the grey fleet.

“Business owners and fleet management teams must keep on top of this to ensure they are not putting their firm or employee at risk, especially with an aging, less well-maintained UK car parc.

“They might also want to consider alternative options like rental or EV pool cars for those occasional driving for work employees.

“It all helps to cut the burden of managing a grey fleet and reduces CO2 emissions at the same time.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

A record number of drivers ended up in the dock accused of speeding last year, but drug driving and mobile phone prosecutions fell.

Analysis of the 2022 Criminal Justice Statistics carried out by the AA, reveal that almost a quarter of a million drivers (245,043) appeared in court accused of speeding last year, the highest since records began.

The number of drink-driving cases brought to court also rose during 2022, up by 1.8% to 33,099.

However, the AA’s analysis shows that there was a 16% reduction in cases of drug driving and a 15.5% fall in drivers pursued in the courts for using a handheld mobile phone behind the wheel.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, said: “These figures serve as a reminder of the huge consequences both poor and illegal driving can result in.

“Those willing to gamble when behind the wheel should think again.

“Some may say that record speeding cases are just a reflection of too many cameras, but speeding can be life ending and life changing, so it is only right that those excessive speeders are properly punished.

“While the number of cases for using a handheld mobile phone behind the wheel and drug driving have fallen, we are not fully convinced that this is due to improved compliance.

“Our own studies show that a quarter of drivers regularly see others picking up a phone when behind the wheel, meanwhile a reduction in dedicated traffic officers means some drivers feel they can get away with certain behaviours.”

The analysis also showed that more than 55,500 cases were heard for vehicles being on the road without tax, a 12.3% increase compared to the previous year.

Similarly, more than 101,057 people found themselves in court for failing to supply information after being required to do so by the police, up from 96,799 in 2021.

Last year, 83,100 drivers were in court for driving without insurance, down 11,000 cases compared to 2021, while more than 3,000 drivers stood accused of driving without a valid MOT.

In total 710,738 cases came to court for motoring offences last year with 642,236 resulting in a conviction. This means that nine out of 10 motoring cases that end up in court result in a guilty verdict, showing that drivers are highly unlikely to be acquitted.

I would ask the question – Are the number of drug convictions and using a mobile phone whilst driving down because of a lack of police? If that’s the case the lack of police makes the rise in drink driving convictions look even worse. Speeding can be caught on cameras but to charge a drink, drug or mobile phone abuser we need a law enforcement officer so the situation could be very much worse than the situation reported. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

A potentially massive data leak is being looked into by the authorities after it was alleged Tesla failed to adequately protect data from customers, employees and business partners.

The data protection watchdog for the Netherlands said on Friday (May 26) it was aware of possible Tesla data protection breaches, but it was too early for further comment.

Germany newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Thursday (May 25) that Tesla had allegedly failed to protect data, citing 100 gigabytes of confidential data leaked by a whistleblower.

“We are aware of the Handelsblatt story and we are looking into it,” a spokesperson for the AP data watchdog in the Netherlands, where Tesla’s European headquarters is located, told Reuters.

They declined all comment on whether the agency might launch or have launched an investigation, citing policy. The Dutch agency was informed by its counterpart in the German state of Brandenberg.

Handelsblatt said Tesla notified the Dutch authorities about the breach, but the AP spokesperson said they were not aware if the company had made any representations to the agency.

Tesla was not immediately available for comment on Friday on the Handelsblatt report, which said customer data could be found “in abundance” in a data set labelled “Tesla Files”.

The data protection office in Brandenburg, which is home to Tesla’s European gigafactory, described the data leak as “massive”.

“I can’t remember such a scale,” Brandenburg data protection officer Dagmar Hartge said, adding that the case had been handed to the Dutch authorities who would be responsible if the allegations led to an enforcement action.

The Dutch authorities has several weeks to decide whether to deal with the case as part of a European procedure, she added.

The files include tables containing more than 100,000 names of former and current employees, including the social security number of Tesla CEO Musk, along with private email addresses, phone numbers, salaries of employees, bank details of customers and secret details from production, Handelsblatt reported.

Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN, said: “Autonomous intelligence technology is the most advanced type of AI, as it removes the need for human intervention.

“While we may still be a long way off a driver being able to take their eyes off the road, we are still putting faith in something which we don’t yet fully understand.

“This new technology is being designed with the driver in mind, but it is crucial that cybersecurity is not forgotten, as there may be dangers hiding beyond the control panel.

“It would take hackers a lot of work to bypass the built-in security features of these cars, but they could still find a way.

“Ransomware, wireless carjacking, key fob cloning and cyber-attacks on connected devices in the hardware and software of the car are all potential security concerns that could arise.

“This is an exciting time for car makers and the potential positives of self-driving cars outweigh the negatives. However, without a strong cybersecurity focus to future-proof these desirable vehicles, there is a risk criminals could already be preparing to manipulate this technology — so they can make a quick getaway without a hand on the steering wheel. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

By David Bartlett, head of accident management, AA Business Services

The days of being guaranteed a courtesy car while your vehicle is being repaired are largely behind us.

The automotive market and landscape have changed and are continuing to evolve.

A myriad of factors has impacted the availability of courtesy vehicles, and the reality is that they’re now in limited supply, regardless of insurance agreements for their provision.

The current landscape

As a result of global factors including the Covid 19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, hire car providers are facing pressures, like many areas of industry, that are impacting the availability of vehicles.

One of the main challenges they’re facing is rising costs and this can be largely attributed to resourcing and energy.

Labour market shortages have put upwards pressure on wages. Together with an increase in the National Living Wage of 9.7% and rising inflation, this has contributed to a perfect storm in the rising cost of resourcing.

The price of petrol and diesel has also reached record highs over previous months. This has hit rental companies hard, as every delivery and collection requires a runner car that incurs the cost of an additional driver and fuel.

Worldwide, there’s been an average increase of 47% in rental costs, so if rental is your contingency, these costs need to be factored into budgets.

Due to ongoing supply chain challenges, we’re still seeing a delay and shortage of new vehicles coming to market, pushing up the price of new and second-hand cars as well.

In the past few years new vehicle costs have risen over 20% and in some cases its over 40% for used vehicles.

It’s therefore simply not a viable option for most repairers to increase the number of courtesy vehicles, extend leases or replace those ageing or unfit, leaving them with a smaller fleet.

Coupled with this, order delays for a number of parts are extensive and unpredictable, which is out of repairers’ hands, and in some cases, this results in fleets of courtesy cars being tied up with drivers for longer. And this is a worldwide problem.

So stark is this issue in certain areas that there have been recent reports of some insurers and fleets writing off historically repairable cars to save themselves the rising costs of providing courtesy cars. This is more of an issue or policies that include a credit-hire for drivers.

A further and developing challenge placing demands on bodyshops is insurance policies for electric vehicle (EV) drivers which stipulate the provision of replacement EV courtesy cars.

As it stands, EVs aren’t an affordable option for most repairers and, even if they were, the majority don’t yet have the fast-charging infrastructure to turn these vehicles around quick enough, let alone navigate the increased energy costs and minimal uplift in rates for such requests.

Alongside – and as a consequence of – this changing landscape, we’re seeing an ageing profile in short-term fleet operations.

To effectively manage this, and navigate the current supply challenges, requires ongoing innovation to find the best solutions to minimise fleet costs and downtime and this is what we’re doing at the AA in close partnership with our suppliers and partners.

Taking control

So, what does this mean for fleets? With so many variables at play, fleets and drivers need to focus on what they can control.

One ball firmly in their court is their accident management programme.

So, where should you start? Firstly, turn attention to your insured events experience.

In the event of an accident that renders a vehicle off the road, regardless of where the fault is attributable, how’s your business going to be impacted?

This is a question that every organisation needs to know the answer to, and it will vary widely depending on the nature of the work carried out by employees – for example, are your employees desk based, or do they need to drive to carry out their role?

To get an accurate picture, it’s also important to undertake analysis of your accident management history.

This should include your average vehicle downtime and the cost of this to your business. Knowledge is power and it’s only through understanding how your business is affected by vehicles being off road that you can best plan to mitigate the impact on business.

Once you have the information you need, take action.

What this looks like will depend on the results of your analysis and shape of your organisation.

It may be that if your fleet is predominantly used for commuting and visiting customers, you need to update your company car policy to explain to drivers what they can do in the event of an accident without a courtesy car. This can include working from home, for example.

If your business relies on vehicles to operate, such as carry-out deliveries, then the solution will be more complex.

You can look at temporary options to implement such as vehicle rotation and amending shift patterns to maximise the use of all vehicles in operation at any one time.

We’re seeing the benefit of contingency planning for this purpose first-hand as many businesses now opt for an end-to-end accident management solution.

This sees the various – often very separate – aspects of incident management strategically linked into a single service.

It means working in close partnership with customers to keep their vehicles on the road, helping them to navigate the fast-changing landscape, while remaining safe and compliant at all times.

Looking ahead, it’s important we all acknowledge that the landscape has changed and we’re likely to see a further decline in the availability of courtesy cars. So, it’s important to adjust fleet expectations and be proactive.

Any organisation that operates a business-critical fleet needs to take action by adopting a robust end-to-end accident management solution.

This way they can maximise business productivity by minimising the risk of disruption in the event of an accident.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Fetch, a new on-demand car-hailing service using remote-controlled driverless vehicles, has been launched by Imperium Drive.

The service, which has undergone 18 months of testing, is first launching in Milton Keynes before being rolled out across the country.

It will be able to connect with other urban areas and key transport interchanges, such as airports.

Customers can hire a car through the Fetch app, stating when they need it and for how long.

An electric vehicle (EV), which is remotely controlled by an operator, is then delivered to them. The customer then drives the car themselves to their destination and when the rental period is up, the remote vehicle operator takes over and pilots the car back to base or to the next user.

Koosha Kaveh, the chief executive of Imperium Drive, said: “It’s driverless but not autonomous – yet.

“There’s still a human involved, but they’re sitting in a control centre piloting the vehicle in the same way you would a drone.

“When fully autonomous, we think this system has the potential to replace private car ownership in the UK. Why pay all the costs of having a car on your drive when you can just pay for one to arrive when you need it.

“For short trips, the service offers the same convenience as a ride-hailing or taxi service, but with the ability to cover greater distances at less than half the cost of services like Uber or Bolt.”

There are currently four cars in the Imperium Drive fleet, operating within a four-mile radius of the Milton Keynes city centre hub.

Further regional hubs are planned to enable intercity travel and airport transfers.

To ensure the safety of occupants and other road users, the cars have multiple cameras attached to them, giving the operator a 360-degree view, and the operating system uses computer image algorithms to detect anything near the car.

RAC road safety spokesperson Simon Williams said: “While this scheme has been tested very successfully over an 18-month period, we worry that the experience of remotely driving a vehicle distances the driver from the potential road safety consequences in a video game-like manner.

“Although the remote driver has a reasonable view in front and around them by not being present in the vehicle they are – like it or not – somewhat disconnected from the reality of actually being behind the wheel.

“There’s also a risk they could be distracted by something in the room where they are located. We also fear there could be serious consequences when this scheme is rolled out more widely and if the delivery distances were to be lengthened to take in faster roads.”

Imperium Drive’s leadership team has a combined 45 years of experience in telecoms, robotics, autonomous vehicles and advanced mobility, with more than 60 patents and over 500 scientific citations.

To watch the demonstration on YouTube click HERE

By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

A lack of skills to work on advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) is putting road users at risk, according to a new report from the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI).

It suggests that there are currently only 3,000 ADAS-certified technicians, yet 106,000 will be needed by 2030.   

Steve Nash, CEO of the IMI, said: “Drivers are becoming accustomed to and reliant upon autonomous features on their vehicles.

“Any failure could be catastrophic. For example, if a driver took a second too long to notice that their adaptive cruise control had failed on a motorway, they could easily suffer a serious high-speed collision with the vehicle in front.

“It would be a similar story if lane keeping assist, or the lane departure warning failed, and a driver drifted into the neighbouring lane in front of a faster vehicle.

“The risks could be even higher for more advanced features such as autosteer and automated lane change.”

It is the first time that the scale of level 2 autonomy in the UK car parc and the skills required to maintain it has been analysed.

It found that 5% of the UK car parc features level 2 autonomy (where the vehicle can control acceleration, braking, and steering), but there are currently only 3,000 technicians with IMI TechSafe qualifications to work on vehicles featuring ADAS.

In 2023 alone, the IMI estimates a shortfall of 6,000 technicians to support the UK car parc. By 2030, 44% of cars on UK roads will include ADAS, requiring a total of 106,000 qualified technicians

Based on current qualification and training trends, the IMI estimates that there will be a shortfall of 51,000 qualified technicians in just seven years.

Nash continued: “It is no exaggeration to say that it is a matter of life and death that these technologically advanced vehicles are maintained only by fully qualified technicians.

“The skills need is immediate with such a significant proportion of UK cars already using level 2 autonomy. It is also critical to recognise the serious economic impact of the skills gap.

“A lack of qualified workforce means delays in vehicle repairs, undermining UK mobility.”

While the IMI’s report highlights a big skills gap across the whole automotive aftermarket, there are several subsectors that are more advanced.

In particular, the accident repair, body and glazing sectors have a greater proportion of their workforce qualified to work with ADAS because of the critical role they play in repairing vehicles after accidents.

But there is still a gap in qualified technicians to service the current car parc, says the IMI.

This sector, which comprises a large number of independent repair shops, as well as dealership networks and large, multi-site repair organisations have invested in the latest tools and technologies as well as training for their workforce in order to remain competitive.

The IMI estimates that there are currently 1,800 technicians ADAS qualified in these subsectors with a requirement for 25,000 technicians ADAS qualified by 2030.

Nash said: “Autonomous vehicles rely on complex systems, including advanced electronics, sensors and software.

“Without the necessary skills to diagnose and fix issues with autonomous systems, the safety and reliability of the vehicles cannot be guaranteed.

“Not only that, the increasing integration of autonomous technology in vehicles means that technicians need to have a deep understanding of how different systems interact and work together, requiring a commitment to continuing professional development to keep up with the latest advancements in the field.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

A majority of fleet decision-makers would not be happy for their drivers to use a hands-off driver assistance system, such as Ford’s BlueCruise, according to a Fleet News poll.

Ford introduced the first hands-off driver assistance system that can be used on UK motorways in April.

BlueCruise, which enables hands-free assisted driving at speeds of up to 80mph, is available on the Mustang Mach-E and was approved for use by the Department for Transport (DfT).

However, more than half (55%) of respondents to a Fleet News poll said there were wary of allowing drivers to use the new technology.

BlueCruise is classified as a Level 2 autonomous system and can be activated on 2,300 miles of pre-mapped motorways in England, Scotland and Wales, designated as Blue Zones.

The system monitors road markings, speed signs and evolving traffic conditions to control steering, acceleration, braking and lane positioning, as well as to maintain safe and consistent distances to vehicles ahead – right down to a complete halt in traffic jams.

Just over a third (35%) of fleets supported the use of hands-off driver assistance systems, while 10% said they were unsure.

In a recent Fleet News at 10,  Paul Hollick, chair of the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP), said: “Any form of technology which means a driver, through ignorance more than anything, thinks that they don’t need to do something is scary for us as fleet operators.

“I can just see drivers that have got that system watching a Netflix movie or trying to read a book while they’re driving home, without being sensible and proactive on the roads.

“From a fleet management perspective, I think it’s just scary. Drivers still need to drive, and drivers still need to be the centre of everything.”

Appearing alongside Hollick on April’s Fleet News at 10 webinar, Duncan Webb, fleet director at the AA, said he was “really nervous” about the technology.

“Just knowing you don’t have to be as in control of the car worries me that the role of the driver is becoming even more dumbed down… and might end up presenting a greater risk,” he added.

When using the BlueCruise system, drivers must remain attentive at all times and are monitored by an infrared camera continually.

If the system detects driver inattention, warning messages are first displayed in the instrument cluster, followed by audible alerts, brake activations, and finally slowing of the vehicle while maintaining steering control.

Similar actions are performed if the driver fails to place their hands back on the steering wheel when prompted when leaving a Blue Zone.

Eye-tracking technology could help ‘improve road safety’

The use of driver monitoring systems (DMS) inside the vehicle that use eye-tracking cameras to check driver attentiveness, are rapidly becoming a key tool for governments and carmakers seeking to prevent road accidents.

However, the results of a recent study commissioned by Seeing Machines, show that drivers still need convincing of the benefits of the technology, which monitors for fatigue and distraction.

Driver monitoring systems, it says, provide the critical link between assisted driving features and driver safety, with the technology only being noticed if required to intervene.

In a poll, conducted by Seeing Machines, more than two-thirds (70%) of those surveyed said that they believed technologies used to monitor and improve the performance of drivers had the potential to help improve road safety and reduce road accidents.

The results also revealed some interesting regional variations, with drivers in London being on average 32% more likely to believe that DMS would improve their driving, while those in high-level professional occupations were also 40% more likely than their junior colleagues to think the same.

Drivers in the North-East were the group least likely to believe that DMS could lead to improvements in their driving ability, with only 6% supporting the view that DMS could make them a more attentive driver.

“On the back of Ford’s recent announcement that its ‘hands-off, eyes-on’ assisted driver technology has been approved for use on certain motorways in the UK, the prevalence of driver monitoring systems in the vehicles we drive will only increase in the years ahead,” said Paul McGlone, CEO of Seeing Machines.

“Every year, around 1.35 million people die, and between 20 and 50 million people are injured, due to some form of transport accident caused by human error, negligence, risky behaviour, unpredictable events, or unsafe conditions.

“Getting everyone home safely is what matters and regulators around the world understand that sophisticated cameras to check driver attentiveness can help reduce accidents.”

He concluded: “The survey shows that there is much work still to be done by carmakers, suppliers and policy makers in educating the public as to the benefits of advanced driver monitoring systems and the regulatory changes which will make it an unavoidable legal requirement in the decade ahead.

“Even so, the results indicate that most UK drivers are receptive to these changes and are willing to try out a technology with clear benefits for driver safety, as DMS technology becomes as commonplace as the seatbelt in the years ahead.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

There was a 24.9% year-on-year increase in the number of vehicles stolen across England and Wales, according to new data published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

Analysis shows that there were 130,389 vehicles stolen last year, compared to 104,435 during the previous year (2021).

Furthermore, AA Insurance Services says that theft from vehicles rose by 9.9%, with 212,900 people having items stolen from their vehicle compared to 193,647 the year before.

Devon and Cornwall Police were unable to supply figures to the ONS, so the true figure is likely to be even higher.

Gus Park, managing director for AA Insurance Services, says that the rise in vehicle thefts is “worrying” and highlights that security is “vitally important”.

He added: “Unfortunately, there is no one thing that can guarantee keeping your car safe from theft, but just making it a bit harder for the thieves can make it less likely that they’ll go for your car.”

When it comes to taking cars, thieves are keeping pace with manufacturers by using a variety of hi-tech methods to steal them. Relay theft, key cloning and signal blocking continue to be the main methods of illegally obtaining vehicles.

When it comes to taking things from cars, faster and more traditional methods are adopted such as smashing windows or forcing windows and doors open are adopted to gain phones, wallets, and other valuable possessions.

AA Insurance Services is reminding company car and van drivers to not store valuables in their vehicles if possible, or at the very least advise drivers to keep items hidden away.

Visible deterrents such as using a steering wheel lock plays a crucial role in keeping thieves at bay, because these devices cannot be overcome by the technology now being used by gangs to steal cars, it says.

Although nothing is fool proof, this deterrent is likely to make the thief move on to the next unprotected car.

Separate data from the Metropolitan Police, which was published recently, revealed that tool theft from a vehicle had increased by 25% – accounting for a third of all tool thefts recorded in the capital in 2021 and 2022.

Tradespeople are 10 times more likely to experience tool theft from a vehicle than they are from a building site or their place of work – with only 14% of cases leading to the suspect being identified. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Potentially dangerous defects are being missed by garages, according to analysis of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA’s) MOT Compliance Survey 2021-2022.

It has revealed that 10.1% of cars passed by MOT testers should have failed. 

As part of the compliance survey, a team of DVSA expert vehicle examiners retested a randomly selected sample of 1,732 vehicles.

The aim of the annual study is to understand whether correct testing standards are being applied by the industry.

The DVSA disagreed with the test outcomes in 12.2% of cases, with 2.1% of failures deemed to be worthy of a pass certificate.

In nearly two-thirds of the vehicles retested (65.9%), the DVSA found at least one defect which the MOT test station had missed or incorrectly recorded.

Of the 1,142 vehicles with defects disagreed, more than half (51.6%) had three more defects missed or disagreed.

Tyres were the component area with the highest number of defects disagreed, at 734, followed by brakes (660) and suspension (642).

The 1,732 retests also resulted in 27 disciplinary actions recorded and 164 advisory warning letters sent to garages.

A DVSA spokesperson said: “Our MOT Compliance Survey is an essential tool helping us make our roads among the safest in Europe.

“The vast majority of MOT testers carry out testing to the highest standards. Our survey targets a random selection of vehicles and is designed to identify any problems with MOT testing so that we can put them right.

“We are delighted to see that standards have improved since the last report. This underlines the importance of DVSA taking action on the survey results and supporting testers with new digital tools, as well as demonstrating the hard work of MOT testers.”

In separate research, What Car? conducted a survey of 961 car owners, with 13% admitting they are aware of a local garage that is favourable with passing cars through their MOT.

What Car? editor Steve Huntingford said: “Our investigation highlights the differences between official vehicle roadworthiness standards and those upheld by some in the industry.

“With safety critical components such as tyres and brakes at the top of the list of defects missed there are potentially serious road safety concerns at play here.

“It might seem beneficial for owners to have their vehicle inspected by a favourable garage, but the test is there to provide a minimum standard of vehicle safety.”

The Government published proposals to change the MOT in January, including changing the date at which the first MOT for new light vehicles is required from three to four years and improving the monitoring of emissions to tackle pollution.

Ministers claim the changes are necessary because today’s vehicles are built better and are more resilient to wear and tear, particularly with electric vehicles (EVs) having fewer moving parts.

The Government says pushing the requirement for the first MOT back from three years to four would also save money.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News