CARS more than four years old will have to undergo compulsory tests every two years under a scheme announced yesterday by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Howlin.
The test will cost around £40 and cars which pass will be issued with a certificate of roadworthiness. Testing will begin on a phased basis from 1998, with all cars more than four years old being tested by the end of 1999.
Cars which fail the test will not be able to get tax and insurance and the sanction for driving without having passed is likely to include fines. A second test will be offered for cars which fail.
Some 750,000 cars more than four years old, including secondhand imports, will have to undergo the test, which will be carried out at independent test centres.
The centres will be operated by franchise and will be appointed following a competitive tendering process, which will begin within a few months.
Mr Howlin said the scheme will bring Ireland into line with the requirements of a 1991 European Union directive. Ireland is the only EU state which does not have compulsory roadworthiness tests for cars.
The fact that there had been more than 20,000 Garda prosecutions for vehicle defects in 1995 "clearly demonstrates the need for higher maintenance standards for many cars", he said.
Mr Howlin said the scheme is expected to create 1,100 jobs and will have a positive impact on road safety and the environment.
"Such testing is accepted throughout the developed world as an important contribution to road safety and is now in operation in some form in all other EU member states. Over 400 persons are killed and over 10,000 are injured each year on Irish roads. Vehicle defects cause or contribute to some of these road accidents."
The inspections should make a significant contribution to the reduction in air pollution from poorly maintained vehicles and "go a long way to meeting public concerns relating to urban air quality, especially in Dublin"
The Society of the Irish Motor Industry welcomed the scheme which would eliminate the "dumping" in Ireland of cars that had failed tests in other EU countries. The Automobile Association (AA), while giving the scheme a "guarded welcome", warned that it would have "no great impact on accident statistics".
An AA spokesman, Mr Conor Faughnan, said vehicle defects were primarily responsible for some 3 per cent of road traffic accidents. "Much more important is the human factor. Driver behaviour, excessive speed, poor concentration, drink driving are all much bigger factors in Ireland's toll of road deaths."
Mr Faughnan said the cost of around £40 per test "adds to the burden of a sector in society that already pays too much". He said the annual revenue raised from the scheme could be used to improve road safety in much more tangible ways such as funding a dedicated Garda road traffic corps.
The Consumers' Association while broadly welcoming the system, queried the "arbitrary nature" of the obligation to test cars more than four years old. "We would want to know whether the condition, maintenance and mileage of the car would be taken into account as well," said its chief executive, Ms Caroline Gill.
The Irish Insurance Federation said the scheme would not lead to an immediate reduction in premiums. "We will wait to see if it has an impact on the number of accidents. If it leads to fewer accidents, it would lead to a reduction in our claims costs and that would be passed on to our customers," said its spokeswoman, Ms Nessa O'Mahony.
The Minister for Finance, Mr Quinn, is considering extending the car scrappage scheme introduced in 1995. Under the scheme, drivers of vehicles more than 10 years old who scrap them and buy a new one receive £1,000 from the State. Some 25,000 will have been taken off the road by the end of this year under the scheme.
. While details of the compulsory test have not yet been established, cars undergoing the inspection are likely to be tested in the following areas: noise abatement equipment, exhaust emissions, mirrors, wipers, steering wheel, brakes, tyres, lights, suspension mounting, chassis condition, engine transmission, speedometer, brake fluid level, fuel system, windscreen body work, horn and seat belts.
In order to counteract car "clocking" tampering with a car's mileage reading it is proposed to record the mileage reading at the time of the test on the roadworthiness certificates.