Hate how the BBC always use passive voice for car crashes. No mention that a driver is at fault.
On the note of mechanical faults, it is odd that cars are typically safetied when sold/transfered to a new owner and never really required to be inspected again. Regular safety inspections should be a mandatory part of car ownership.
Mandatory periodic (typically annual/biannual) safety inspections are fairly common: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_inspection
We had them when I was a kid in Virginia. My shitty Corolla failed because the driver-side door handle didn’t work on the inside.
They wanted $150 to fix it, so I just tied a rope to the mechanism inside the door. It passed.
All-told, it’s a great idea and also provides some business for local mechanics.