Warrant of Fitness inspections will shift to annually for most cars, in a bid to save the public money, in a move today that has seen mixed response from the trade.
For light vehicles key changes to the system include a shift to an initial inspection then no further inspections till a vehicle is three years old for new vehicles, followed by annual inspections.
Vehicles first registered before January 1, 2000 will still be subject to six-monthly inspections.
See our separate piece on changes to the Certificate of Fitness regime.
“Regular inspections will continue to play a vital role in vehicle safety,” associate transport minister Simon Bridges explained while making the announcement today. “The new inspection frequency regime recognises concerns about older vehicles by making sure vehicles registered before 1 January 2000 remain on six-monthly inspections.”
“The new regime also recognises that the quality of vehicles and their safety features and performance are improving over time,” says Bridges.
Ministry of Transport research claims that the package of changes will benefit motorists and businesses by $159 million a year. This includes savings in inspection and compliance costs, justice and enforcement costs, and time spent by motorists getting their WoF.
He notes the heavy debate the review had generated.
“Decisions have come after a great deal of work, including public consultation that canvassed a range of possible options,” he says. “While many submitters wanted reform, others expressed concern about change.
“We took these concerns into account in designing a WoF package that backs up the changed inspection frequency over time with other measures, such as information and education campaigns and more funding for police enforcement.”
Changes to the WoF system will be made through the Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Standards Compliance 2002 and are expected to be in place by July 2014 or earlier.
The Vehicle Licensing Reform project also looked at changing the annual vehicle licensing and transport services licensing systems – this has been pushed out with outcomes still some months away.
Read our other stories online today for industry discussion about the outcome.
Full details can be found here: http://www.transport.govt.nz/ourwork/Land/Pages/vehiclelicensingreformconsultation.aspx
