Kaiser chef Posted December 17, 2011 Report Share Posted December 17, 2011 No one person fully agree's with all of the laws that we have. So if you don't live on an exempt island and these laws don't really effect you, What does it matter if you don't like it? You'll have to come up with a better reason than "it offends me" before you can change the law. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyboy Posted December 17, 2011 Report Share Posted December 17, 2011 Things like this offend mehttp://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2011/12/17/declan-hainey-murder-msp-demands-inquiry-over-why-killer-mum-wasn-t-stopped-86908-23641129/ Somebody driving a car that hasn't got a MOT when its perfectly legal to doesn't really bother me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bug Posted December 17, 2011 Report Share Posted December 17, 2011 No one person fully agree's with all of the laws that we have. So if you don't live on an exempt island and these laws don't really effect you, What does it matter if you don't like it? You'll have to come up with a better reason than "it offends me" before you can change the law. If it's legal whilst still having a RO-RO link between the exempt islands and the Shetland Mainland surely all of the Shetland Islands would fall into the same exempt category in relation to the Mainland of the UK. Perhaps we should be lobbying to have the law extended to all our islands.... or is that a "Calamity" in the making Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infiltrator Posted December 17, 2011 Report Share Posted December 17, 2011 What exactly is an "Isles car"? Isles cars must also be able to return home from the local boating club/pub on their own, usually in the early hours of the morning, without any help from any of it's passengers I remember taking a car back out of Yell (a first maybe?) where someone in Lerwick had taken it as a trade-in against another car, the poor chap hadn't seen the car, and it was a real pile of junk. The drivers seat kept reclining as I drove to to Lerwick and it had an odd swaying motion when driving on a straight road, and there were virtually no brakes - the chap in Lerwick's face was a picture, he was speechless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchemy Posted December 17, 2011 Report Share Posted December 17, 2011 daveh, you will be familiar with the expression, 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' it has been like this for ages and as far as I am aware hasn't caused too many problems or concerns. Sudden stop, hope that is not a reference to your driving style unless one lives on the isles then it is unlikely to affect you, if the folk on the isles are okay with it.... there are far worse things to cause offence or concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stilldellin Posted December 17, 2011 Report Share Posted December 17, 2011 ^ Agree, think worth pointing out there are plenty MOT'd vehicles out here on the mainland that are far from roadworthy, that magic certificate is valid on the day of issue, it's up to the driver for the next 364 days... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sudden Stop Posted December 17, 2011 Report Share Posted December 17, 2011 You'll have to come up with a better reason than "it offends me" before you can change the law. It's simple - these are public roads. The laws that apply to the mainland are safety related - drivers are tested to a proficiency standard and vehicles are tested to ensure they are roadworthy. These safety rules should apply to ALL public roads. If they were not public roads then I wouldn't care so much, but I'm pretty sure those people that have to drive on them every day would be upset when they weren't maintained by the public purse. I hate driving on those islands where you are never sure what you're going to meet around the next corner or what the driver is going to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claudias Posted December 17, 2011 Report Share Posted December 17, 2011 ^ ^ ^You must hate driving in Shetland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted December 17, 2011 Report Share Posted December 17, 2011 Most folk I would imagine aren't suicidal. A reasonable person wouldn't drive a car knowing its in a dangerous condition. "Dangerous" is highly relative. Some drivers are bloody dangerous with a push bike or wheelbarrow, the condition of car folk like that drive is irrelevant, no amount of safety features is going to keep them outta the stank. A comptetent driver who also understands how vehicles work, and the limitations of the particular one they're using at any particular moment in time, is arguably safer in a car which brakes on one wheel only and has shaky steering, than a barely making the grade driver in a perfect car. If that makes me unreasonable, so be it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchemy Posted December 17, 2011 Report Share Posted December 17, 2011 ".... where you are never sure what you're going to meet around the next corner or what the driver is going to do." That statement could apply to anyone, anywhere, for any number of reasons! Anyway, I think the OP has the answers he was looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGHR Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 The whole concept of 'isles cars' offends me. The council (and therefore - all of us) spends a huge amount of money on ferries to connect the outer isles with the rest of Shetland at a greatly reduced cost. As far as I am concerned where there are RO-RO ferries provided, there is no reason why the users of cars cannot MOT their vehicles and they absolutely should have full driving licenses. Why do you suppose the legislation which allows the 'isles cars concept' or the exemption from supervision for learner drivers exists? Perhaps you would feel happier if the council (and therefore all of you) spent a huge amount of money providing the same level of public transport at a greatly reduced cost in the outer isles to that which is available in Lerwick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 Or, subsidise an MOT station with qualified mechanic and associated ancillary equipment on every island that has a vehicle. I wonder, too if the ferry has a stipulation about carrying untested vehicles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exciseman Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 The MOT just means that the vehicle meets set test criteria on one day a year - nothing more. A vehicle could be un-roadworthy the next day – it is the owners responsibility to ensure the vehicle is legally roadworthy at all times whether it has a MOT or not or on the isles or not – living on the isles does not exempt anyone from driving an un-roadworthy vehicle. If you dive an un-roadworthy vehicle on the isles exactly the same law applies there as on Mainland. I believe that a change to having a MOT every second year instead of annual is in offing and possibly 5 years instead of 3 years car age for the first MOT as is the case in Northern Ireland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 The downside could be from that that folk wait 18 months to fix a fault. Especially as money appears to be tight. The law is all fine and well, but some one could suffer before a fault is found, you only need to look at how many taxis fail tests during spot checks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sudden Stop Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 Being required to have your vehicle roadworthy all year round does indeed apply to those without the need for an MOT certificate but it's very, very hard to enforce at the road side. How are the police to assess power of the brakes on a vehicle for example? Consider this as well - how many of us have taken a car for an MOT only to be told that it needs a suspension joint or a bush or some new brake pipes within the next year? The MOT serves the vehicle owner as well as easing safety enforcement. The transport links are subsidised to such a level that the old arguement that it's too far/expensive/time-consuming to get a driving license or MOT simply doesn't apply now. The logical exceptions are Fair Isle, Foula and Vaila (i'd imagine the sovergien state of Forvik will have it's own MOT station by now though). A sensible change to the law would be to make it illegal to sell a car without a new MOT on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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