It’s not unusual to spot a Range Rover, Audi or BWM cruisng the streets in Redbridge but apparently these cars are few and far between as Ilford is the top town in the UK for banger cars.
Newly-released data from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) reveals motorists in Redbridge have racked up 400 prosecutions since 2016 for driving cars with dodgy brakes, bald tyres, defective steering - or for simply being in too "dangerous" a condition for the road.
Ilford is the only town, as opposed to a city, in the top eight, and was only beaten by London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow.
In the last three and a half years Ilford drivers have obtained 15 prosecutions for defective brakes, 90 prosecutions for dangerous cars, 290 prosecutions for defective tyres and four prosecutions for defective steering, totalling 399.
London is the undisputed crap car winner overall, with five times as many prosecutions as anywhere else.
The most common offence across the UK was found to be using a vehicle with defective tyres.
More than 10,000 people were slapped with three penalty points, and a fine of up to £2,500 per tyre, for doing so since 2016.
The crap car league was exposed by leading UK leasing firm Select Car Leasing and Mark Tongue from the company said: "It is shocking how many drivers have let their vehicles get in such a sorry state.
"A vehicle which has defective steering, brakes or tyres, or one that's in a dangerous condition overall, is one that a driver is not truly in control of, and which could lead to a serious accident," he added.
"Keeping your motor in shape isn't just about making sure you have a valid MOT - It needs to be serviced and maintained regularly, because if it won't stop or turn as you want it to, it's simply a weapon on wheels.
"The prosecutions for central London are enormous compared with the rest of the UK and we suspect that's not simply due to the larger population.
"Many London dwellers use their cars infrequently, because public transport is a much more effective method of getting across the city.
"And if you're not using your car on a regular basis, it's much easier for that vehicle to fall into disrepair without you necessarily realising it."
The data has been derived by the postal town in which the offender lives, and was obtained through a Freedom of Information request to the DVLA.
For more information visit: https://www.selectcarleasing.co.uk/news/banger-britain-fit-for-road.html
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