SVP politicians have called for a change to the motor vehicle inspection system in Switzerland, after figures revealed that the backlog of vehicles waiting for an inspection has swollen to an unprecedented size. 

Vehicle inspection backlog reaches 600.000 in Switzerland

Every couple of years, all drivers in Switzerland receive a letter from the Road Traffic Authority, informing them that their vehicle inspection (MFK) is due. At the moment, however, lots of people are probably wondering where their letters have got to, as 20 Minuten reports that figures from the Road Traffic Authority show that the backlog of vehicles waiting to be inspected has risen enormously. 

The figures, first reported on by the Berner Zeitung, reveal that almost 600.000 vehicles in Switzerland have been overdue on their inspections for over 12 months. The Road Traffic Authority, which is responsible for the MFK system, is battling a considerable backlog that has more than tripled since 2020. 

Authorities say that delays in vehicle inspections are due to a number of factors, including the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the growing vehicle population and the increasing average age of vehicles. Changes to driving tests in Switzerland are also having an impact. The recent drop in the legal driving age to 17 also means that there is higher demand. 

While the presence of large numbers of uninspected vehicles on the roads does not necessarily pose a safety risk (according to the Federal Roads Office, traffic accidents caused by technical defects or improper vehicle maintenance account for less than 1 percent of all accidents), authorities are trying to bring the numbers down. 

SVP politicians call for less frequent vehicle inspections 

According to some SVP politicians, one way to do this would be to increase the intervals between inspections. Currently, the first inspection takes place between five and six years after the vehicle is first registered, with a second inspection following after three years, and all subsequent inspections taking place every two years after that. 

SVP councillor Christian Imark told 20 Minuten that he believes this is excessive, involves “a lot of unnecessary effort and bureaucracy” and is “often just a money-making scheme”. His colleague Thomas Hurter of the SVP, who is also president of the Swiss Automobile Club and the Automobile Trade Association, recommended linking the frequency of inspections with the age of the vehicle and its technical standard. 

According to the Federal Roads Office, however, decreasing the frequency of inspections would put Switzerland at odds with the European Union, where inspection intervals are already shorter than in the alpine nation. 

Green party councillor Marionna Schlatter told 20 Minuten that the current inspection timeline was also important from an environmental safety point of view: “It is also about the emissions that we want to control for example in exhaust gas testing.” 

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