New driving licence point rules coming to UK as Labour closes 'loophole'

James Rodger
·2-min read
New driving licence point rules coming to UK as Labour closes 'loophole'
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Labour could overhaul a driving licence loophole after serious abuse by drivers collecting 176 points. New data and research has horrifyingly revealed more than 10,000 drivers still have licences despite exceeding 12 points in the UK.

Under UK law, road users who have more than 12 penalty points on a licence can risk being disqualified from driving, but The Telegraph newspaper reports has been an increase in the number of drivers exploiting a legal loophole to keep their licences.

This is despite accumulating more than 12 penalty points. The surge comes after thousands of drivers successfully argued "exceptional hardship" in magistrates courts to avoid disqualification, according to the national newspaper.

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Nick Freeman, a lawyer known as "Mr Loophole" for finding legal technicalities, said:"This is not what Parliament intended and the law needs to be tightened up." "It should be one chance when it really is exceptional and then you're stuffed. That's what Parliament intended and that makes sense," he explained.

He blamed poor legislative drafting rather than lawyers exploiting the system adding that the system is being abused because it of “badly worded legislation”, noting that the new Labour Party government “should have already closed the loophole down”.

Nicholas Lyes, director of policy and standards at road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, warned that the number of drivers abusing the system “calls into question whether the definition of exceptional hardship needs reviewing”. He added: “It begs the question why this minority are still out and about on the roads accruing points and potentially putting other people’s lives at risk."

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We take road safety seriously, and drivers who reach 12 points should be automatically disqualified to protect themselves and others. Independent courts determinesentencing and whether exceptional hardship should be considered based on the facts of each case.”

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