Vehicles must be inspected also in emergency conditions

The roadworthiness tests of vehicles will not be postponed due to the coronavirus situation. The efforts to curb the epidemic in Finland have been so successful that experts did not support the exemption to periodic inspections prepared by the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

On 16 April 2020, the Ministry sent out an urgent government proposal for comments that suggested temporary flexibility in the deadlines for periodic vehicle inspections this spring. The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and the Office of the Chancellor of Justice, however, were of the opinion that because the level of risk of infection has become lower, the exemption is not necessary. Due to the received comments, the Ministry has decided to exclude from the proposal the amendments to the Vehicle Act on roadworthiness tests.

"We wanted to facilitate the lives of those private car users at risk. Roadworthiness tests have caused a lot of anxiety, but the inspection stations have developed new ways to avoid close contacts. Many stations also provide a service, where the car is picked up and returned, and the owner does not have to be involved in the testing at all," commends Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakka.

The exemption would have provided flexibility in the use of vehicles for which no periodic inspection has been carried out or that have been immobilised after a roadworthiness test. The exemption would have applied to vehicles that are due to be inspected between 16 March and 15 June 2020. The use of uninspected or dismissed vehicles would have been temporarily allowed until 31 August 2020.

Based on the feedback from the consultation round, the postponement of roadworthiness tests would have caused harm to the economy and employment of the inspection stations. There could have been more unfit vehicles in traffic than usual.

In emergency conditions, too, vehicles must be inspected as normal by no later than on the last day of inspection marked for the vehicle. You can check the last day of inspection at, for example,the website of Transport and Communications Agency Traficom under Traficom's E-services or in the vehicle registration or inspection certificate.

If you belong to a risk group for coronavirus:

1. You can ask someone else to take your vehicle to the inspection station.

Even if the date of inspection of your vehicle has expired, the vehicle may be driven to the inspection station for a prebooked roadworthiness test.

2. You can use the vehicle pick-up service provided by some inspection stations.

3. It is advisable to consult the instructions and practices of the inspection stations regarding safe use of the services already before the inspection.

Inquiries:

Matti Sadeniemi, Special Adviser, tel. +358 40 586 7234