The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency are calling on UK fleet operators to join the millions of consumers who have checked if their vehicles have an outstanding safety recall.
In the first three months of this year, SMMT’s online Vehicle Safety Recalls Service was used 2,334,385 times by drivers to check their car was safe.
Manufacturers work closely with the DVSA to ensure the UK has one of the world’s most successful vehicle safety recall processes. However, recalls can be missed when a vehicle transfers between keepers so, in 2015, SMMT and its members developed a consumer-facing online look-up service to make it easier for individual drivers to check for themselves and the service has now been rolled out to meet specific commercial needs.
For fleet owners, operators and businesses that provide fleet services, a vehicle with an outstanding recall could see insurance voided. Further, the DVSA has the power to prosecute businesses that sell vehicles to consumers with an outstanding safety recall. Failure to check a car for an outstanding safety recall could lead to a fine of up to £20,000 and/ or up to three months imprisonment.
To ensure every vehicle on a company’s books is compliant, the SMMT has launched a fleet-dedicated version of its Vehicle Safety Recall Service. The service provides a bulk automated look-up tool, allowing companies to check any size fleet and up to 100,000 or more in a single batch. The service is fully automated with results usually returned within the hour.