Of that number, 9303 are yet to front up on vehicle registration and roadworthiness offences, including driving an unregistered vehicle, or having faulty lights.
Papamoa lawyer Tony Rickard-Simms says many of those with outstanding fines are on welfare or minimum wage, and fines can escalate faster than they can pay it, even with attachment orders to their wages or their benefits.
Many offenders could not afford to register or warrant their cars, meaning they risked fines if caught driving, he says.
The good news for those struggling with the cost associated with keeping their vehicle on the road is that as of July this year, about 1.2 million cars made since 2000 that were once subject to six-monthly warrant of fitness (WoF) inspections will now be checked annually.
This should not have an impact on road safety if motorists take heed of the advice given by the Motor Trade Association that drivers should check their cars' roadworthiness regularly.
AA general manager of motoring affairs Mike Noon adds that a lot of people have relied completely on their WoF but there are things that, as an owner of a vehicle, they should be doing on a regular basis, such as checking tyre tread and air pressure.
As this paper has noted before, even with the changes, New Zealand will still have the most frequent WoF inspection regime in the world. Most other countries only inspect vehicles every two years, or only when they are sold.
Hopefully, the $55 or so about 900,000 Kiwis will now save each year will be spent on new tyres and car repairs and this, in turn, will cut down on the number of unpaid fines.
