In the context of the announcement on zwischengas.com regarding a "tougher approach to veteran registration in Switzerland", the Bern Road Traffic Office explains the new procedure, which only applies to new assessments and not to vehicles that already have the status of veteran vehicle.
Initial situation - veterans in the canton of Bern
Out of 530,033 passenger cars, 6,845 passenger cars are registered as veteran vehicles. Of 79,384 motorcycles, 4,246 are registered as veteran vehicles (as of May 2020). In 2019, 812 veteran vehicle assessments were carried out in the canton of Bern (initial/follow-up tests)
History of veteran vehicle inspections in the canton of Bern
Until now, a vehicle owner could request a veteran vehicle assessment directly at the test - without prior notification. The technical inspection (as a basic inspection as for all vehicles) and the assessment of the veteran vehicle in accordance with the instructions of the Federal Roads Office was carried out within 20 minutes. The veteran's inspection has long been carried out in the canton of Berne on a four-eyes principle, i.e. the head of the vehicle inspection department or a delegated person with specialist knowledge of veteran vehicles accompanies the veteran's inspection and has time to answer any questions. Nevertheless, there was not enough time for a proper inspection. For this reason, the traffic experts of the Canton of Bern submitted a request to the management in 2019 that additional examination time (20 minutes) should be allocated for a veterans' assessment.
Change in the canton of Bern from May 1, 2020
If a vehicle owner wishes to obtain veteran status for their vehicle, they must submit an inspection request for a veteran assessment in advance. This inspection request replaces the previous application form. The first important information about the vehicle is expected when the inspection request is submitted. This allows individual questions and uncertainties to be discussed or clarified with the customer in advance. In this way, the aim is to achieve a higher quality in the preparation of the veteran's inspection. Incidentally, many professional companies that wanted to register vehicles for a veteran's inspection have already shown a dossier with the necessary documents in advance and thus prepared the inspection well together with the office; it was not a mandatory stage in the inspection procedure.
The statement that this is a "tougher way of assessing veterans" is not correct. This measure allows an assessment of the vehicle to be made in advance. Those cases that clearly do not fall into the category of a veteran vehicle can be sorted out and the customer is informed. If the preliminary clarification can be completed positively, a periodic or voluntary vehicle inspection and an additional inspection date for a veteran's assessment are scheduled.
The initial assessment of veteran status is always scheduled with a periodic or voluntary vehicle inspection. The assessment during the vehicle inspection is carried out in accordance with the directives for veteran vehicles issued by the Federal Roads Office on November 3, 2008. The tried-and-tested dual control principle for the assessment of the vehicle's veteran status is maintained.
No additional inspection time is scheduled for vehicles that already have veteran status. There is also no need to submit an inspection request with photographic material.
In constant dialog with the classic car scene
Since Niklaus Lundsgaard-Hansen took office almost five years ago, the Road Traffic Office of the Canton of Berne has regularly organized a "sounding board" on the subject of veteran vehicles with around a dozen representatives from the "classic car scene" (club representatives, specialized garages and workshops, long-standing collectors - for the various vehicle categories such as passenger cars, motorcycles, agricultural vehicles and trucks/buses).
With this adaptation of the veteran vehicle inspection procedure, not only a concern of the traffic experts, but also of the specialist companies and associations of veteran vehicles in the Canton of Bern was taken up and implemented. Prior to implementation, the specialist companies and associations were informed in good time and asked for their opinion. Without exception, they support the new procedure.
The Road Traffic Office of the Canton of Berne is certified and the vehicle inspections have even been accredited since 2007. The traffic experts are regularly supervised/inspected and are required to undergo further training. The Bern Road Traffic Office makes every effort to carry out vehicle inspections and veteran assessments as correctly as possible, regardless of location, time and person. The Road Traffic Office is obliged to monitor the applicable regulations and enforce compliance. The office also provides traffic experts as lecturers in the specialized training of the asa (Association of Road Traffic Offices).
Process details
The new procedure requires several photos showing the car from the front, from both sides and from the rear, as well as views of the interior of the engine compartment and the trunk. Because the general conditions were not clear to everyone from the outset, the Bern Road Traffic Office clarifies them by answering a few questions:
A) What is the purpose of the photos?
This measure allows an assessment of the vehicle to be made in advance. Those cases that clearly do not fall into the category of a veteran vehicle can thus be sorted out.
B) What are the requirements for the photos?
Current pictures of the vehicle in accordance with the inspection order.
C) What happens if, for example, a photo of the trunk is missing?
We assess the pictures with the necessary sense of proportion and common sense. In the case of a Ferrari 308, we do not need a picture of the trunk. For a VW Golf with a possible sound system in the trunk, a picture in advance would be ideal. If pictures are missing, we will seek dialog with the customer if necessary.
D) How old can the photos be?
Recent pictures are ideal. Here, too, we assess the pictures with the necessary sense of proportion and common sense.
E) How do you deal with large photos?
Up to now, sending photos by e-mail has not led to any problems or queries from customers. In the age of smartphones, these images can be sent in a suitable size without any problems.
Q) What size should the photos be when they are handed in at the counter?
The pictures can be submitted in the size that gives us a first impression of the vehicle. We do not have any format specifications.
G) When do the photos have to be on site at the latest?
The photos should be submitted when the inspection order is submitted.
Further information can of course also be found on the website of the Bern Road Traffic Office.