Most of the old and unreliable vehicles that should be in the scrap yard are still chugging along on roads across China, a significant risk to traffic safety, according to a new report.

The China Automobile Dealers Association said in a report that more than 2 million vehicles are too old to remain on the road and that out of that, just 25 percent or 500,000 were actually taken to auto dismantling centers, the report said.

A government regulation says that cars and other automobiles must be taken to the scrap yard after eight to 20 years on the road. Those that have between 100,000 to 600,000 kilometers on the odometer should also retire, depending on the type of vehicles.

A manager surnamed Yang from Beijing Tongda Automobiles Dismantling Factory told the Global Times Thursday that old vehicles pose a risk on the road and many of them do not meet pollution emission standards, which is bad news for the air quality.

The Economic Information Daily, operated by the Xinhua News Agency, reported that the relatively low compensation for old vehicles, plus weak enforcement, discourage drivers from surrendering their old vehicles.

"I never thought of having my car scrapped. Even selling my car in the second-hand market is much more profitable," Yang Yucheng, a taxi driver in Changchun, Jilin Province, told the newspaper, adding that his car could be sold for 20,000 yuan ($2,945).

"Even if it could not be sold, I will choose to send it to my relatives in the rural area where the supervision is lax. Furthermore, the car looks quite good currently, and can easily last two to three more years," he was quoted as saying.

The report said there are fewer than 500 companies accepting old vehicles from drivers.

To motivate car owners to abandon their automobiles, authorities increased the fees last year. For example, the payment for turning in a large passenger bus went from 6,000 yuan ($883) to 18,000 yuan.

However, many drivers are not convinced it is the best option.

"The owners who come in to hand over their cars are still very few. The factory only get one or two autos a day," Yang said.