Beautician spared driving ban after totting up 66 points and speeding 20 times in Audi
AN AUDI- DRIVING beautician clocked speeding 20 times on the same stretch of motorway was spared a driving ban yesterday despite amassing a staggering 66 points on her licence.
In a let- off criticised as ‘ stunning’ by road safety campaigners, Georgia Carney, 30, was allowed to remain behind the wheel despite repeatedly being caught doing as much as 80mph on a 50mph stretch in just two months last summer.
A driving ban is normally imposed once a motorist has racked up 12 penalty points. But the mother-to-be, who puts on beauty courses at salons, argued the loss of her licence would cause her exceptional hardship because she wouldn’t be able to carry all her gear on public transport. She also said she would not be able to pay her £595-a-month rent, which would have an impact on her mother who is a guarantor of the property.
Magistrates accepted her ‘special reasons’ argument and imposed a £2,000 fine with £115 court costs. Last night Joshua Harris, director of campaigns at the road safety charity Brake, said driving was ‘a privilege, not a right’ and added: ‘This – frankly stunning – decision highlights just why the exceptional hardship rule needs urgent reform.’
Sentencing Carney in Manchester, chair of the bench Kin Cheng said: ‘In all my magistrates career, this is a record for me, honestly.’
According to Department for Transport figures, last year 10,858 motorists had 12 or more points and were still able to drive. Worst of all was a 24-year-old man from Bradford, West Yorkshire, with 78.