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Will the number of accidents not change? Experts assess the proposal to return technical inspection for passenger cars
So, let's start with the proposal. From December 30, 2021, the obligation to conduct a technical inspection of passenger vehicles used by individuals has been canceled. As RSA Asset Protection Director Sergei Efremov noted during the round table, insurers are very interested in the serviceability of vehicles on the roads, since they insure them under OSAGO, CASCO and OSGOP contracts. According to Avtostat, 70% of privately owned passenger cars in Russia are over 10 years old, with an average age of 15 years.
According to the current traffic laws, drivers are responsible for driving their vehicles on public roads, and rightly so. Before leaving, they must check the technical condition of the car. However, some units and assemblies cannot be seen with the naked eye. Special devices are needed to ensure serviceability and compliance with manufacturer requirements and technical standards. These statistics are of great concern. Drivers must be motivated to check their cars in practice. Therefore, it is proposed to introduce regular technical inspections for cars owned by individuals aged 10 years and older from 2026.
Progress does not stand still, and in a few years the technical inspection in its current form will disappear. All transport units and units are equipped with the necessary sensors. The car's own program determines its technical condition and transmits information to various databases. If certain malfunctions occur, the car is blocked. This grandiose picture has emerged in the insurance world.
But in reality, everything is more complicated. The aging of a vehicle is directly related to the fact that it cannot be renewed. Car prices are rising. The owner is ready to exchange his car for a new one, but the car is tight for his wallet.
Therefore, all technological innovations are not for him. What will happen if we add another cost item in the form of mandatory technical tests? No one has cancelled the organization of the car before the trip. And then there is also the loss of time, and the inevitable return of the "virtue" of solving technical inspection issues for a small bribe without visiting the service station.
As Ivan Kekin, head of the Krasnoyarsk regional technical inspection post, explained, the return of mandatory technical inspections of all passenger vehicles will certainly have a positive effect on road safety. However, this cannot be done indiscriminately. The entire system of checking the technical condition of a vehicle requires a thorough check. Incomplete legal framework and lack of government agencies responsible for general technical control. Since the abolition of passenger car maintenance, automotive technology has advanced one step further (electric vehicles have appeared en masse, and driverless cars are expected to appear soon), but the requirements and methods for their inspection have not changed.
Economic factors are also important, especially in the context of changes in business taxation. During the volunteer period, many service branches were closed, which led to a shortage of services.
The return of mandatory MOT without reviewing the entire MOT system and without correcting the "shortcomings" of previous reforms will lead to the return of fraudsters to the industry, mass sales of diagnostic cards, queues at real MOT points, dissatisfaction of car owners and the ensuing consequences. Another reform, up to and including the abolition of the prosecutor's office.
According to automobile expert Igor Morzharetto, the number of accidents involving faulty cars, both with and without mandatory technical inspections, has remained the same. It is 2-4%. This usually happens immediately before an error occurs in the statistics themselves.
Therefore, even during the period when mandatory technical inspection of private cars was cancelled or when car prices increased significantly, there were no changes on the roads. Therefore, there is no point in introducing mandatory technical inspections of passenger cars.
According to Avtostat, 70% of privately owned passenger cars in Russia are over 10 years old, with an average age of 15 years.
Let me remind you that it costs on average about 500 rubles, excluding mandatory technical tests. It depends on the region. Somewhere - 300, which is generally beyond the bounds of profitability, somewhere - about 1000. But you can always buy a diagnostic card confirming the passage of the technical inspection. 1500 rubles.
From the new year, in many regions, the prices for vehicle inspections will increase by an average of 7.4%. This is not much. Within a hundred rubles.