Four in every 10 cars fail WOF
Drivers are being warned to do more to ensure their cars are roadworthy after four in every 10 vehicles failed warrant of fitness (WOF) tests last year.
In total 1,886,104 vehicles failed their first WOF inspection in 2019, figures from the Motor Trade Association (MTA) reveal.
Greig Epps, MTA’s advocacy and strategy manager, says the 41 per cent fail rate should ring alarm bells for all road users.
“We reached this record high failure rate in the middle of last year and it continued throughout the rest of the 2019,” he explains.
“It shows that many car owners still rely on the warrant of fitness inspection to discover any problems.”
Epps, pictured, adds that with most cars only being seen for a WOF once a year that wasn’t good enough.
“Drivers need to be doing more to monitor the safety of their car. Everyone should check the most common issues – lights, brakes, suspension and tyres at least every six months.”
Epps compares the general failure rate with that of commercial vehicles, such as taxis, business fleets and trucks, which was between 17 and 23 per cent, depending on the category of vehicle.
“Commercial operators are safety rated and passing their inspections is an important component of their rating,” he says. “The different system shows that it’s possible to halve the failure rate if there was some incentive to do so.”
With 4,587,857 first-time WOF tests during 2019 and the average price of each one $55.06, the inspection industry is worth $252 million to the economy.
Waikato has the highest regional average first-time failure rate at 47 per cent, with Gisborne and Otago close behind on 46 per cent each. Marlborough continues to have the lowest failure rates with an average of just 33 per cent.
The MTA is urging the government to add a component on vehicle maintenance to the driver licence test.
“We believe the driver-training process should include information on how to do a simple safety inspection to ensure the vehicle is roadworthy,” Epps says. “The message should be that any necessary repairs should be done straight away – for the safety of everyone on the road.”
