Missing dash boards, cracked windscreens, steering and suspension tied together with rope was just some of the things seen during a vehicle compliance check in the Bay of Plenty.

The NZ Transport Agency and the Commercial Vehicle Investigation Unit found 'less than fancy” warrant of fitness compliance in some of the 552 vehicles they inspected during a night time operation this week.

Vehicle compliance was 'less than fancy” during a night time vehicle check operation.

Ten of the worst vehicles were ordered off the road due to safety concerns.

Operation Waltz focused on vehicle's being up to standard with officers noting some vehicles should not have been on the road.

NZ Transport Agency's midlands manager David Pearks says although it was good to see a noticeable improvement in compliance by boy racer vehicles, this was marred by the fact that the team issued a significant number of tickets for WOF non-compliance.

'Some of the faults we found included a vehicle driven by a Dad taking his son to the ball that had a crack chassis, no approved seat belts, the air ram unit was protruding through the floor and it had an unapproved suspension unit all of which resulted in it being unsafe for those riding in it as well as to other road users.”

The midlands vehicle team has been working with Police in Rotorua since 2010 targeting vehicle standards and this time out coincided with the school ball season.

David says operations like this are important in ensuring that the standard of vehicles driven by young drivers is safe and meets WOF standards.

'It's sad that young drivers still are putting themselves, their friends and other motorists at risk by driving in unsafe vehicles.

'This operation identified some basic standards were not being met, there is no excuse for not having seat belts, worn tyres to the rim and an unsecured fuel tank.”

David says while the number of fatal and serious injury crashes involving teenage drivers although had dropped nationally from 475 in 2008 to 257 last year, in the Bay of Plenty this figure has remained unchanged - last year 25 Bay of Plenty teenagers were involved in serious and fatal crashes this figure so far remains the same for this year.

'Road crashes are still the single biggest killer of teenagers in New Zealand, we are working with police and other organisations to reduce this number by ensuring the vehicles they drive in are safe.” He says with an average of one teenager killed on New Zealand roads every week in recent years, the country's teen crash rates were still among the worst in the developed world, and it was important for parents to do their part by making sure the vehicles their teens drive are up to WOF standards.