# An obstruction significantly affecting the driver’s view of the road through the swept area of the windscreen or an obligatory external mirror not visible — Vehicle inspection defect categories: MOT major, minor and dangerous verdicts

For An obstruction significantly affecting the driver’s view of the road through the swept area of the windscreen or an obligatory external mirror not visible, category is Major; inspection item number is 3.1; defect reference is (a)(ii); inspection item is Field of vision; authority is DVSA MOT (cars, vans and passenger vehicles, classes 3, 4, 5, 7), recorded from its source on 2026-08-06.

- **Defect:** An obstruction significantly affecting the driver’s view of the road through the swept area of the windscreen or an obligatory external mirror not visible _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Category:** Major _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Inspection item number:** 3.1
- **Defect reference:** (a)(ii) _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Inspection item:** Field of vision
- **Authority:** DVSA MOT (cars, vans and passenger vehicles, classes 3, 4, 5, 7) _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_

## What the source says

> (a)(ii) | An obstruction significantly affecting the driver’s view of the road through the swept area of the windscreen or an obligatory external mirror not visible | Major

## Source

- https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mot-inspection-manual-for-private-passenger-and-light-commercial-vehicles/3-visibility

Last verified: 2026-08-06. Review by: 2027-02-02.
Part of [Vehicle inspection defect categories: MOT major, minor and dangerous verdicts](https://referencesource.org/vehicle-inspection-defect-categories/).