Fitness test due, ABS light on, insurance expired
You run a small delivery business with a 2016 diesel van. Its fitness test is due in seven days and the current certificate is still valid. This morning the ABS warning light stayed on after start-up; the footbrake still works normally. You check the tyres: both front tyres have 1.3 mm tread across the centre, the rear tyres have 2.5 mm, and the spare has a visible sidewall crack. Brake fluid is at the minimum mark and looks dark. The insurance certificate expired two days ago; the road tax disc is valid. A customer 25 km away is waiting for a delivery of chilled goods. The van starts and drives, and the handbrake holds on a slope. A colleague's insured car is available but is a small hatchback and cannot carry the load.
1. Can you legally and safely make the delivery in the van? List the decisive defects and legal issues.
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You cannot legally make the delivery in the van. The insurance expired two days ago, so driving on a public road is uninsured and unlawful, regardless of the valid road tax. The front tyres at 1.3 mm are below the 1.6 mm minimum and are illegal and unsafe in wet weather. The ABS warning light indicates a fault; normal braking may remain, but ABS may not operate. Brake fluid at minimum and dark suggests wear or a leak. The spare with a cracked sidewall is not a safe replacement. Use the colleague's insured hatchback only if it can legally and safely carry the load, or arrange alternative transport; do not overload it.
2. What should you fix first, and in what order?
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Priority order: do not drive the van. First restore insurance, because no repair matters if the van is uninsured. Then fit two legal front tyres and a sound spare, and have the ABS fault diagnosed; the light may indicate a wheel-speed sensor, but it must be scanned. Check the brake system for leaks and top up or repair the fluid loss, then confirm the pedal is firm. Present the van for its fitness test with the defects corrected; the current certificate does not excuse unroadworthiness. Only after insurance, tyres, brakes and ABS are sorted should the van return to delivery work.
3. If the ABS warning light comes on during a later drive, what should the driver do?
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If the ABS light comes on while driving, assume ABS may be disabled but normal hydraulic braking is probably still available. Do not panic or brake suddenly to test it. Reduce speed, increase following distance, avoid harsh braking and loose surfaces, and drive directly to a garage or safe stopping place. The pedal may feel different, but if it goes to the floor or the red brake warning light also comes on, stop safely and call for recovery. Do not ignore the light until the next service; an ABS fault can lengthen stopping distances on wet Mauritian roads.