DVSA study underlines need for all-year-round maintenance
Image courtesy DVSA
The Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is asking operators to ensure they carry out regular maintenance throughout the year to mitigate against dangerous incidents, following a review it recently conducted of a large sample of its encounters with commercial vehicles, and an analysis of the time that had passed since their last MOT.
The study showed a significant rise in roadworthiness prohibition rates as time went on in the months after the MOT, with ten times more issued for vehicles encountered between three and six months after their annual test than for those encountered within the first month after test.
The agency said its findings indicated: “an over-reliance on the annual test to pick up on maintenance issues and failures with operator maintenance inspections.”
Reasons for DVSA prohibitions in the period following an MOT included illegal tyres that were worn and cut; defective suspension, steering and brakes; and faulty indicators and brake lights.
In addition, the agency said that more than 60 per cent of HGV prohibition defects could, and should, have been identified by the driver and reported had thorough walkaround checks been carried out or acted upon.
The findings were said to be consistent across HGVs, trailers and PSVs.
DVSA head of policy and engineering Neil Barlow said: “This data indicates a concerning lack of care for road safety by some operators. Heavy vehicles travelling at speed pose an immense risk to road users if not properly maintained. I am calling on all operators to make sure that regular maintenance is being carried out on their vehicles all year round to avoid any potential disruption or dangerous incidents.”
Kevin Green, director at Logistics UK which is working with DVSA to improve awareness, added: “The safety of all road users must remain a top priority for industry, and ensuring vehicles are regularly maintained forms a key part of this. The data provided by DVSA highlights areas where action is needed; Logistics UK is pleased to work with DVSA and the wider road sector to raise awareness of this issue and continue improving road safety.”
