Hundreds of motorists have been warned that they could face fines of up to £300 after targeted DVSA inspections. A recent probe found that one in ten vehicles had a significant safety flaw during inspections between 2020 and 2022 - with inspectors finding that every tenth vehicle had a problem with various parts, from lamps and reflectors to engines, brakes and suspensions.
The DVSA investigation included a cross-section of HGVs, public service fleets, and other types of motors. They explained: "The main reasons why this survey is funded by the DfT and carried out by DVSA are to determine trends in non-compliance with regulations and roadworthiness in order to gauge the effects of changes in legislation and the effectiveness of DVSA's day-to-day targeted operations.
"It is also to provide information to help identify potential areas for targeting, so that DVSA's work can be more focused and compare differences in condition and compliance between Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and non-Great Britain vehicles."
The Star reports that examiners also reviewed 2,540 vehicles for traffic offences, finding that 547 (21.5 per cent) had committed a serious offence. Certain drivers could be given a £300 fine, or hit with penalty points on their licence - while the most serious cases could see both.
The DVSA, said: "DVSA checks are normally targeted, both on the locations where offenders are most likely to be found and on the vehicles thought most likely to be offending. Therefore, figures emerging from normal DVSA checks do not necessarily provide a picture of traffic offences and roadworthiness defects that is representative of the fleet as a whole.
"A fleet compliance check, using random locations and vehicles, is needed to obtain unbiased data. There are four potential measures for compliance with regulations and roadworthiness.
"The are the proportion of operators committing offences, the fleet in which offences were found journeys made by vehicles which are committing offences and miles travelled by vehicles where offences are being committed."
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