One in five vehicles on Rotorua's roads is being driven with at least one defect.
A combined vehicle safety checkpoint carried out by the New Zealand Transport Agency and Rotorua police on Thursday led to 571 vehicles - cars, vans and other light vehicles - stopped and checked at the compliance station on State Highway 40 at Rotokawa.
Drivers were breath tested, licences checked and vehicles given a TWIRL inspection - tyres, windscreen, indicators, rust and lights. Of these 119 had a form of defect.
The most common safety issues were lights and indicators that didn't work, broken windscreens that affected visibility, and bald tyres.
A number of the vehicles had expired registrations and road user charges.
The more serious safety faults received tickets on the spot from police. Others that were less serious were given 14 days to rectify the problem.
Drivers with very minor faults had the matter brought to their attention so they could fix the issue.
Five vehicles with significant safety defects were issued green stickers, meaning they could only be on the road after the defect had been fixed.
Those who were stopped were also given a Check Your Car TWIRL safety check flyer and a key ring to measure tyre tread depths.
Transport Agency Access and Use Manager for the Waikato and Bay of Plenty, David Pearks, said the operation was a chance for the Transport Agency and police to work together to educate drivers about the importance of safety.
"While this inspection showed most drivers keep their vehicle safe, it is concerning that close to a third had some safety concern.
"Alongside the recent changes to WoF inspections, we're running a Check Your Car public awareness campaign.
"It doesn't take long to give your car a quick safety check, and get it to an expert if you think anything is wrong."
The joint operation will be repeated in Rotorua in six months' time, with other inspections planned across the Waikato and other areas of the Bay of Plenty.
• For more information on the Check Your Car campaign - including how to do a quick TWIRL check yourself, visit the Transport Agency website at: nzta.govt.nz/checkyourcar