A petition arguing for less strict vehicle inspections on roadworthiness was brought to the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday after having crossed the necessary signature threshold. However, discussions do not seem to have changed much as government representatives showed themselves unconvinced by most of the arguments proposed to make the technical control less restrictive in Luxembourg.
The signatories were in favour of making the frequency of the inspection more flexible and making it compulsory every two years after the sixth year, as opposed to every year at present. The proposed frequency is similar to that of other European countries: a first check after four years, followed by a check every two years.
To strengthen his case, petition author Marc Detail was even prepared to accept an increase in the price of roadworthiness tests. His argument was that “globally, manufacturers are building cars better than 20 or even 30 years ago”. He also mentioned that it would be easier to get an appointment at a control centre.
Minister for Mobility and Public Works François Bausch listened to these arguments, but drew attention to the latest reform, made about half a dozen years ago, and the liberalisation of roadworthiness testing. Since this reform, cars must undergo a technical inspection four years after they are first put on the road, a second inspection two years later, and then every year.
Minister Kox showed himself resolved to maintain this rhythm: “Safety, the environment, and also customer confidence when it comes to secondary sales. It is for these reasons that I think it is important that we maintain the regulations that we have in place today. We are by far not the strictest, there are other countries that are much stricter than us. We have found a happy medium here, which corresponds to the criteria for which we do it.”
Statistics show the need for controls, further noted the Greens Minister. From the sixth year onwards, the number of defects and the rate of car failures both increase. This surely explains why Luxembourg residents keep their new cars for an average of seven years.
Nevertheless, the Chamber’s mobility and petition commissions decided to remain open to one of the proposals and a compromise was reached in the end. An additional two-year interval before switching to an annual inspection is thus expected to be introduced. This would postpone the annual technical inspection to the eighth year of the vehicle.
However, this proposal will still have to be discussed with the Road Safety Authority before it comes into force.
