County council press release
An undercover operation by Hertfordshire Trading Standards and Hertfordshire Constabulary has revealed some of the pitfalls of buying second-hand cars.
Four second-hand vehicles – a Nissan Micra, Ford Galaxy, Honda Accord and Renault Scenic – were purchased from garages by covert trading standards officers, posing as consumers, from Watford, Welwyn Garden City and Hemel Hempstead.
They were tested by a police vehicle examiner. The Ford Galaxy was deemed to be unroadworthy as it had a loose and insecure battery and there was excessive wear in one of the steering joints. One of the rear seats was also unusable as there was not a suitable seat belt restraint fitted to it.
The other three cars were found to have minor faults including a faulty spare tyre, faulty driver window, under-inflated tyres, and an incorrectly fitted rear light bulb.
The Road Traffic Act 1988 makes it an offence to sell vehicles for use on the road which are in an unroadworthy condition. This includes any alterations made to the vehicle which could render it unroadworthy.
The trader who sold the unroadworthy car will be investigated. The maximum penalty for such an offence is three months’ imprisonment and a £2,500 fine.
Hertfordshire Trading Standards received complaints about the premises which were targeted, and prior to this exercise they had been given advice on the Road Traffic Act, Sale of Goods Act and other legislation enforced by trading standards.
Guy Pratt – Assistant Director for Community Protection at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “No matter how much or little you pay for a vehicle, you are entitled to expect that it is safe, roadworthy and complies with the law. Be aware that a current MOT certificate is not an indication of a vehicle’s roadworthiness.
“Consumers should buy from legitimate businesses that inspect the vehicles before putting them on sale. If we can prevent just one accident by urging drivers to get cars checked before they buy, it will have been worth it.”
Andy Rivers, Crash Investigation and Vehicle Examiner for Hertfordshire Constabulary, said: “If more time had been taken during the preparation of these vehicles then the defects found could have been remedied before the vehicles were re-sold. Although some of these defects may appear to be minor and therefore insignificant, in my experience, they can become contributory factors in serious injury, or even fatal, road traffic collisions.”
If you require consumer advice on second hand vehicles contact Consumer Direct on 08454 040506.