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The DVSA is "widening" a change to MOT tests with drivers in England facing changes. Under the Labour Party government, the DVSA has completed the first Images in Garages trial after it asked a group of garages to take a photo of each car when it comes in for an MOT. Photos are then automatically uploaded into the digital MOT Testing Service. In time, this change will help reduce fraudulent MOTs, ensuring all vehicles are present for tests and retests, improving road safety and compliance. The six-week nationwide trial saw just over 170 MOT testers in 62 garages take part. Together, they cover all vehicle classes and include independent garages, chains, dealerships and local council testing stations. READ MORE New 10mph speed limit in England 'for next six months' with drivers warned Using a mobile phone or tablet, testers were asked to take a photo and upload it through the MOT Testing System (MTS) – where it was attached to the MOT record for that vehicle. Around 450-500 photos were uploaded each weekday – by the end, over 13,000 photos from all 62 garages had been submitted. Testers were able to get to grips with the technology quickly and by the end of the first week, the top 10 busiest garages in the trial had an upload success rate of 90.2%. The DVSA said: "The success means DVSA will be widening the trial with more garages after we’ve collated all of the feedback from the garages who took part in the first trial. This will help us to get insight on how we can improve the software and process for every kind of garage. "We know there’s still room to refine and enhance image capture and upload, and we’ll continue making improvements as we go. The second phase of the trial will focus on testing the system at scale to ensure it’s ready for a phased rollout. "But we also know the garages who signed up for the service are continuing to use this – and anyone involved in the trial can be sure they are working with DVSA to combat MOT fraud."
