Banish these rust buckets from our roads Motor Trades Association CEO John Chapman with the car that was being driven on our roads up until Tuesday. THIS clapped-out Mitsubishi has bald tyres, holes in its exhaust and a broken horn - but it's only through good luck it's not on the roads. That's because the owner sold the registered 1995 Magna sedan during the week for scrap in exchange for a few hundred dollars. If it had been in any other state except WA, the driver would not be allowed to drive it on the road and not be a danger to themselves, passengers and other motorists. Motor Trade Association executive director John Chapman said it would have taken years of neglect for the Magna to deteriorate to this state. "A car with bald tyres like this is disaster waiting to happen - especially on wet roads," he said. I think it's an unreasonable expectation to rely solely on police to identify defects on cars. The MTA is campaigning to introduce mandatory safety checks in SA. Its calls have been echoed by the parents of eight-month-old Ibrahim Islam, who died after inhaling gas from a leaking exhaust as their car travelled along Sir Donald Bradman Drive, Hilton, on June 7. The MTA wants a system similar to that in Victoria, where a safety inspection certificate, costing about $150, is required when registration of ownership is changed. Police figures show the number of vehicles issued with a defect notice fell from 26,223 in 2011-12 to 19,480 this financial year. Police said they did not keep figures on the ratio of vehicles inspected to notices issued. Business Services and Consumers Minister John Rau held "talks" this week with organisations such as the MTA as part of a review of road safety regulations. "The Government recognises that any changes to this policy could have an impact on the cost of living for many South Australians," he said. Family First MP Dennis Hood is preparing a Bill to present to Parliament next month demanding mandatory safety inspections for vehicles aged more than 10 years when they are being sold. "We have the oldest car fleet in the nation and SA motorists are more at risk from accidents as a result of old, poorly maintained vehicles," he said. A basic safety inspection is $90, which is a small outlay to ensure cars are safe. Acting Road Safety Minister Tom Kenyon said last week that less than 3 per cent of crashes were caused by unroadworthy cars. The RAA said research showed there was "negligible" difference in crash rates in SA and other states with mandatory road checks and therefore did not support their introduction.