In a staggering case a 26 year old man still has his driving licence despite racking up an incredible 229 penalty points. Newly published figures expose the fact that there are over 50 drivers in Britain with a minimum of 30 points still driving legally.
The “shocking” statistics have sparked demands for repeat offenders to undergo compulsory retraining. Motoring industry pundits are expressing unease due to the opaqueness surrounding the rationale allowing certain individuals to keep driving after accumulating enough points to typically warrant a ban.
This situation possibly compromises road safety and diminishes faith in the enforcement apparatus, as per a BBC report.
The DVLA released information for August 2024 under a Freedom of Information request by the BBC, showing around 10,000 drivers with valid licences who’ve exceeded the usual 12-point disqualification limit. In the breakdown, England has over 9,000 such drivers, Wales has 619 and Scotland tallies at 266.
Remarkably, Britain harbours three male drivers with over 100 points apiece and one woman aged 50 with 96 points to her name, according to analysis by PA news agency.
Points are usually handed out for traffic offences such as careless driving and speeding. If a driver racks up 12 or more points within three years, they typically face a six-month ban, after which the points are wiped from their record.
However, drivers can appeal to the court on the grounds of exceptional hardship, potentially allowing them to continue driving even after hitting the 12-point threshold. Nicholas Lyes, head of policy at IAM RoadSmart, expressed concern over the “shocking statistics” and called into question the definition of exceptional hardship, suggesting: “At the very least, those that accrue 12 or more points on their licence should be required to take an additional training course, even if they are allowed to keep their licence,”.
Meanwhile, Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, demanded “more transparency” in the system to protect “collective safety” and uphold “public confidence”. He said: “It would be reassuring to know that someone in authority was monitoring both the absolute number of licence holders swerving a ban and the reasons why they’ve been granted leave to keep driving,” and stressed that “Exceptional hardship needs to be truly exceptional.”