The government has announced that vehicle identity checks, which are currently required before a previously written-off vehicle is returned to the road, will no longer be needed. They have said that the move will save motorists nearly £10m a year, and have explained that the checks are no longer necessary because of advances in technology and because the DVLA will no longer issue a V5 document to those that are categorised as salvage class A or B.
A car is considered a write-off, either if it cannot be repaired to a safe standard, or if the cost of repairs exceeds the value of the car when repaired. Unrecoverable vehicles are classified either as salvage class A or B, while those that could be repaired but it is not considered financially viable to do so are classified as salvage class C or D.
Currently, before a written-off but repaired vehicle can be driven on the road again it must undergo a vehicle identity check. This enables the DVLA to ensure that they only allow class C and class D cars back on the road, and that class A and class B cars are legally and properly scrapped according to end-of-life legislation. However, under new rules, this necessity will be dropped.
The new laws mean that class A and class B cars will not be issued with a V5 registration document, which effectively means that they cannot be taxed or insured, and cannot be driven on the roads. The Department for Transport has said that of a million or so checks completed in the past 12 years, only a handful have suggested any legal wrongdoing and so the vehicle checks have become all but obsolete and unnecessary.
The identity checks were introduced in 2003, in a bid to prevent ringers from being returned to the roads. These were cars that were not considered safe to be repaired, and that experts believe would be a danger if they were repaired and returned to the road. The DfT also said that they hope the move will make it easier for people to return salvageable vehicles to the roads.
