A car trader was stopped by police twice in one day after claiming he was taking a Volvo to a pre-arranged MOT test.
The driver was stopped by West Yorkshire Police on the morning of 19 March for having no insurance and driving a car without tax or a valid MOT. He was allowed to continue after showing evidence of a test booked in Morecambe.
Later that day, the driver was pulled over in Cumbria having driven to Durham – some 90 miles from Morecambe, when taking the fastest route.
Cumbria Police posted on social media: “Seized by West Yorkshire Police this morning for no VEL. Released after surety paid and driver (a trader with no trade plates) showed an MOT appointment booked in Morecambe.
“Driver decides he’ll nip up to Durham before the MOT test and then returns through Cumbria. Where we seize it again.”
Although there is no law on how far a motorist can drive a car without a valid MOT to a pre-arranged test, the distance should be as short as possible. The car must also be insured.
A driver runs the risk of being stopped by the police if the car is deemed to be unroadworthy.
As stated by West Yorkshire Police: “If your vehicle doesn’t have a current MOT certificate, you can only drive it to or from a pre-arranged MOT appointment or to or from a pre-arranged repair appointment to have defects remedied that were discovered on a previous test.
“You can also drive your vehicle on a road without road tax in these circumstances too but your vehicle must be insured. However, not having an MOT may have implications for the validity of your insurance – you would need to check this with your insurer.”
Mike
Slow learners some people 🫣