Wanganui fine dodgers owe more than $5 million in unpaid traffic fines, new figures reveal.
Almost 6000 Wanganui drivers have piled up unpaid traffic-offence fines at Whanganui District Court, according to Ministry of Justice figures.
More than 1310 drivers owe money for driver licence offences, which includes driving while disqualified or driving without a licence, or with an expired licence.
Another 4727 have overdue fines for regulatory driving offences such as speeding, drink driving, and parking offences, and 2946 are yet to front up on vehicle registration and roadworthiness offences including driving an unregistered vehicle, or having faulty lights.
The largest overdue Wanganui fine for a single infringement is $9510 for vehicle registration and roadworthiness offences. It has been owing for 590 days.
Wanganui Budget Advisory Service co-ordinator Sandy Fage said about 80 per cent of her clients were on benefits and had attachment orders for deductions for payment of fines.
In certain cases clients could carry out community service instead of paying fines, if there was no way they could pay, she said.
"It is hard to pay fines back, but that's the way society is - you do the crime you do the time.
"It's really hard when you've only got $30 for food and then $10 comes out for court."
Quite a few clients had unwarranted or registered vehicles because they could not afford the costs, but would continue to drive at the risk of getting a fine, she said.
"That's where it's really stressful for our clients."
Nationwide traffic fine dodgers owe nearly $400 million in unpaid fines.
The largest single overdue traffic fine is $39,120 for vehicle registration and roadworthiness offences.
The fine was imposed at Manukau District Court and is overdue by 1481 days.
New measures introduced in February mean fine dodgers can lose their licence under the Driver Licence Stop Order (DLSO) sanction, which can be imposed on anyone who fails to pay traffic-related fines.
Minister of Courts Chester Borrows said fines existed to help change people's behaviour when they broke the law.
"It's about ensuring fines remain a credible sanction, which is what society wants," Mr Borrows said.
Enforcement could include compulsory deductions from a person's wages, benefit or bank accounts, clamping vehicles, seizing and selling property, issuing arrest warrants, preventing overseas travel and suspending drivers' licences.