Having your car successfully pass MOT is one of the things which most adults do with a sense of pride and achievement. It’s always a good feeling to make it and walk away with that coveted certificate which demonstrates a pass, but those days might be coming to an end. Instead, the government, in conjunction with the DVSA, has recently begun an initiative that asks people to look online for their results - and has asked garages to stop handing out paper records.
Saving the Planet
Ultimately, this decision is part of ongoing efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of the country and cut down on the amount of waste. After all, climate change is one of the biggest concerns in the world right now, along with the ongoing need to not be wasteful.
The move to a purely digital realm has been cited as being a general improvement over the original idea. It is speculated that the MOT process will be much easier, that there will be more opportunities to save on paper waste and also cut down on the chance of fraud.
It is thought that there were 34.5m MOT tests conducted between 2022 and 2023, and that more than 400 trees would be needed if there was a certificate generated for each one. Therefore, the government is keen to prevent this from becoming an ongoing issue.
An Interesting Approach
Chris Price, head of MOT testing at the DVSA, has been spearheading the change and had the following to offer:
“We’re now giving you the flexibility to not issue a paper fail certificate if the customer is able and willing to view the vehicle’s MOT record and history online. If the customer would prefer to look at this information online using the MOT history service, that’s fine. We want them to be able to choose what works best for them.”
It is true that printing out a paper certificate has now been optional since 2021, but many people still choose to get a paper copy for their own records. The end goal is to phase this out entirely, but it does beg a few questions. Not everyone has access to technology, and many may be older drivers who won’t easily be able to access their information - will special dispensation be made for their needs? These are all questions which will be at the forefront of compliance with the new initiative.
A Paperless Future
Ultimately, we are slowly moving into a paperless future, and we can only hope that the changes - such as they are - will help people to be more eco-friendly. However, it is important that everyone feels comfortable making changes and growing. If we are going to make the move to completely paperless as a society, then we need to ensure everyone is capable of doing so, and provide support for those who might be struggling with the idea. After all, nobody can be left behind.