More than 12 points and still no ban
Shocking rise in errant drivers dodging convictions
THE number of drivers escaping a ban despite racking up 12 or more points on their licence has grown by a quarter in the past year, according to latest figures.
Data obtained from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) by insurer esure shows there are now 8,600 motorists in Great Britain who have 12 or more penalty points on their licence but still remain behind the wheel. That’s up from 6,887 in 2015. Current law stipulates if a driver gets 12 points over a three-year period, they must attend court and face a minimum six-month driving ban. But magistrates are allowed to be lenient with motorists if the ban is found to cause ‘exceptional hardship’, such as the loss of a job.
Some magistrates have taken this to extremes, however, as the figures identified a driver in Liverpool and another in Basildon, Essex, with 51 points each. Croydon is home to the most motorists escaping a ban, followed by Cardiff and Leicester.
The number of drivers with 30 or more points has also grown, by 50 per cent from last year. In total, more than 2.8 million motorists in Britain now have at least one point on their licence. Speeding offences are the most common cause, while Birmingham and Nottingham top the table for drivers having at least one point on their licence.
The research also found more than 1.5 million people admit to taking points on someone else’s behalf, with 360,000 saying they couldn’t remember who was driving when an offence was committed. Jon Wilshire, chief underwriting officer at esure, said: “Originally, totting up 12 points was likely to trigger a driving ban, to deter people from repetitively breaking the law.
“While there will be cases where a ban could cause exceptional hardship, it’s astonishing that some drivers could get so many points and still not be disqualified. There need to be clear consequences.”
“DVLA figures identified one motorist in Liverpool and another in Basildon, Essex, who had 51 points each”