Caerphilly motorists are driving the highest number of unsafe cars in UK.
DVLA statistics, obtained by Auto Express, show 14 motorists out of 10,000 in Caerphilly County Borough received penalty points last year for driving poorly maintained cars.
This is almost five times the UK average of 2.91.
The biggest offence was driving with defective tyres and other offences included having unsafe parts, defective steering and overloading.
An AA spokesman said: “The fact is badly maintained cars are a symptom of the recession, wherever people get short of money, car maintenance takes second place.
“From a road safety angle, you increase the chance of avoiding an accident if your car is roadworthy.
“If you are involved in a serious accident where someone is killed or maimed, the condition of your car will be taken into account.”
A Gwent Police spokesperson said: “Motorists are responsible to ensure their vehicles are legal and roadworthy for their own safety and that of other road users.
“Police have the power to carry out spot checks on vehicles and issue prohibitions if necessary. A prohibition will prevent the driver from driving the unsafe vehicle until it is fixed. A fixed penalty can also be used depending on the seriousness of the offence.
“For the safety of all road users we would encourage anyone to call 101 if they become aware of an unsafe vehicle”