The government has announced that mandatory MOT vehicle testing will resume in England, Scotland and Wales as of August 1st. As the BMF has previously reported, six-month extensions to MOT deadlines were granted in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those with an MOT deadline date before August 1st will still get the six-month extension, but are able to get their vehicle tested earlier. A statement by the Department for Transport noted that “all vehicles must continue to be properly maintained and kept in a roadworthy condition, and people are able to voluntarily get their MOT sooner should they wish, even if they are exempt from the legal requirement. Motorists can be prosecuted for driving an unsafe vehicle.” Roads Minister Baroness Vere said:

Many Oxfordshire motorcyclists already know that Oxfordshire County Council is conducting a survey regarding its future Local Transport and Connectivity Plan 5. The survey asks for responses to 28 papers on various aspects of the plan. The 28th paper discusses motorcycling and appears almost as an afterthought, created only after Cherwell District Councillor John Broad raised issues with a lack of content relevant to motorcycles in the previous strategy document. The original version of the topic paper was so biased that Oxfordshire County Council revised it after significant pressure from Cllr Broad, motorcycle lobby groups and many local motorcyclists. The revised document still shows bias and misinformation, and none of the other topic papers even mention motorcycles. Motorcyclists will be happy to

Your insurance premium may be about to go up and motorsport could be in serious danger because of one Slovenian tractor accident, write the BMF's Anna Zee. Here's why. Remember the name Vnuk? Slovenian chap who got knocked off a ladder by a tractor reversing with a trailer into a farmer’s barn? His claim for compensation went all the way to the European Court of Justice, which ruled in his favour. You may recall headlines about having to insure your segway, mobility scooter or ride-on lawnmower because, on the face of it, this judgment changed what we thought was the scope of the Motor Insurance Directive (MID). Two other cases have also led to re-interpretations of the scope of the MID,

The government is considering an EU ruling which could trigger the end of motorsport. Known as the ‘Vnuk judgement’, all motorised transport would require third-party damage and injury insurance if implemented. The Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA), Amateur Motor Cycle Association (AMCA) and Auto-Cycle Union (ACU) believe that motorsports are uninsurable and that this ruling could see the end to them all. Steve Kenward, CEO of the MCIA, said: "If the government implements the Vnuk judgment un-amended, British motorcycle sport would end in the UK. Given that we are coming out of the EU, we are astonished that the government is even considering an option to implement Vnuk." Challenging issues The government doesn’t have much choice about implementing it or not. The ruling is the