The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has renewed its calls for tighter licensing on car garages and mechanics.
The group recently published the results of a survey revealing that 71 per cent of motorists thought that garages must be licensed in order to operate, but that is not the case. Two thirds added that they would not want an unqualified person to work on their car, but just one in 10 said they knew how to check a mechanic’s qualifications.
If the IMI have their wish then the motor trade and repair industry could become far more closely regulated. This would mean that mechanics would not only need to ensure they have a road risks insurance policy in place – which would cover them to drive customers’ vehicles as part of their business practices – but they would also need to get the right qualifications and accreditation to run their business.
Steve Nash, CEO of the IMI, commented: “The majority of motorists choose a garage or mechanic without sufficient information to verify their competence to do the job. And this is a serious cause for concern as data from Brake, the road safety charity, reported that over 3,000 crashes in Britain were caused by vehicle defects as a result of inadequate maintenance in 2011.”
He added that the government ought to take the IMI’s existing accreditation and professional register template and implement it as obligatory across the industry.
