Busy start to the year
Parliament officially opened last week and it has been a very busy time on the political front already.
Last week the Government announced some important changes to the warrant of fitness process.
Starting from around the middle of next year, cars registered after 1 January 2000 will only require an annual checkup. Six monthly inspections will continue for older cars.
Overall this will save motorists a lot of time and money, while still maintaining a high standard of safety.
It’s estimated that moving to an annual WoF inspection will benefit motorists and businesses around $160 million a year in time and money, and $1.8 billion over 30 years, which will have a flow-on benefit for the wider economy.
I believe this is a sensible change that most motorists will welcome. New Zealand has had six monthly inspections since the 1930s, but obviously in that time the standard and safety of vehicles has greatly improved.
My 1972 Holden HQ recently went through the WoF process just fine. Because of its age it will be kept on the six-monthly cycle, which makes sense to me.
The UK inspects annually, and every state in Australia has less frequent inspections – in fact some states only do so when there is a change of ownership.
We’ve listened carefully to the views of the public, and there will be plenty of time for people to get used to these changes. There will also be an increase in investment and education for motorists.
Of course, new and improved roads will also be a major boost for drivers in our region. Transmission Gully, the Kapiti expressway and improved roads all the way to Levin will help remove accident blackspots like the Kimberly intersection combining SH1 and SH57, and around Otaihanga.