3 December 2012 Last updated at 10:00 ET

Isle of Man public consulted on compulsory MOT tests

Isle of Man residents are being consulted about plans to introduce a more rigorous system of vehicle testing to help reduce accident rates.

A consultation has been launched to gauge opinion about introducing MOTs and how often checks should be made.

Currently there are no legal requirements, forcing drivers to have their cars serviced regularly.

Director of Highways Richard Pearson said the move could cut the Isle of Man's accident rate considerably.

Accident rate

He added: "We are approaching this in an open-minded way because we know we need to find the balance between freedom and safety.

"International studies show compulsory vehicle maintenance cuts the accident rate, and in the Isle of Man we estimate about 10% of all accidents are either caused by, or contributed to, by a mechanical defect.

"The cost of accidents in the Isle of Man is somewhere between £28m and £40m every year - and of course the human cost is far more."

At the moment on the island there is no system in place to guard against faulty vehicles, aside from an initial test when a car is first brought over from the UK.

In the UK a car must be tested when it is three-years-old and subsequently every year. In Europe cars are tested at four-years-old and then every year.

Police in the Isle of Man conduct a series of roadside checks but this, said Mr Pearson, only went some of the way to addressing the problem.