Official Inspection Procedures for Road Vehicles in Great Britain

The various systems of inspecting the condition of road vehicles in Great Britain are presented. Firstly, the system of public service vehicle inspection is described, together with the results of these inspections. Secondly, the system of using authorised commercial garages to inspect passenger cars, motor cycles and light vehicles is covered. Representative figures of the results of these tests are given. Thirdly, the inspection of heavier goods vehicles and trailers is dealt with and a detailed description is given of the system used for the inspection of these vehicles at Government owned and operated testing stations.

The paper, therefore, deals with the following three types of inspection systems:-

1. (i)
   Inspection at the roadside and at operators' premises by Department of Transport examiners.
2. (ii)
   Inspection by commercial garages supervised by Department of Transport examiners.
3. (iii)
   Inspection at Government owned testing stations conducted by Department of Transport examiners.