Vehicle Defects Found by DVSA are Easily Preventable

Most of the faults found by inspectors at the roadside could have been easily prevented if the driver had carried out their walkaround checks

Faults like defective tyres, loose wheel nuts, and blown light bulbs are easy to fix. But, they can land you a fixed penalty of up to £300 each and faults like a defective tyre could even cost you three penalty points. And it isn’t just operator’s who are liable for penalties – drivers are responsible for their vehicle’s condition too.

All these faults can be easily spotted by carrying out a quick walkaround check. So, what can you do to avoid missing easy to spot faults like these? Here’s a few tips for making walkaround checks part of your daily routine.

You shouldn’t think of your walkaround checks as an inconvenience, but as something you must do before you set off. Doing a quick check before you set off will help keep all road users safe. It’s much better to discover an unsafe tyre before you set off rather than while driving at speed.

This might seem obvious, but you should always make sure that you have enough time to perform your checks before setting off. You should also make sure you’ve got the correct equipment whatever the conditions, like a torch for performing walkaround checks in the dark.

It’s also a good idea to ask a colleague or a mate for help to check certain things. They can help you make sure your rear lights and indicators are working, for example.

Using a Vehicle Check Mobile App to identify and report commercial vehicle defects and nil defects ensures the walkaround check is being carried out correctly and in line with your DVSA compliance process.

Not only could it mean avoiding prohibitions and fines, but it’ll also make your job easier and our roads safer.

The VehoCheck Vehicle Check App not only ensures you identify vehicle defects prior to any journey, but also offers intelligent analytics to support driver diligence and efficient vehicle maintenance.

Using Vehocheck to conduct the vehicle walkaround check, your driver records any identified vehicle defects using the Vehocheck defect reporting app. The check is then immediately uploaded to your transport office and if a defect is recorded an alert is raised and automatically notifies to the workshop.