Man, 26, still driving with 176 points on licence, data revealed

Penalty points on UK driving licence
Three male licence holders in the UK have more than 100 points - Gary Roebuck/Alamy

A 26-year-old man with 176 penalty points on his driving licence is allowed to get behind the wheel, official data has revealed.

More than 50 people in Britain hold valid driving licences despite racking up at least 30 penalty points, prompting calls for repeat offenders to undertake mandatory retraining.

Three male licence holders have more than 100 points, while a 50-year-old woman continues driving despite having 96.

Some 53 people in the country have at least 30 penalty points each while a total of 10,056 motorists hold a valid licence despite having at least 12 points on their records, official figures analysed by the PA news agency revealed.

Nicholas Lyes, the director of policy and standards at road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, said: “These shocking statistics call into question whether the definition of exceptional hardship needs reviewing.

“Any driver that is on the cusp of a ban would normally take heed of the risk of losing their licence, but it seems that a minority continue to break the law without any consideration.

“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 because a court has deemed that losing it would cause exceptional hardship.”

Exceptional hardship means a driver’s loss of licence would not only affect them but others who depend on them, for example by being driven to and from work or medical appointments.

The Sentencing Council, a government body that sets out what sentences judges in court can hand down, said that loss of employment “will be an inevitable consequence of a driving ban for many people” and added: “Evidence that loss of employment would follow from disqualification is not in itself sufficient to demonstrate exceptional hardship.”

Penalty points are issued by courts after convictions for motoring offences such as driving without due care and attention (three to nine points), drink-driving (three to 11 points) or speeding (three to six points).

Drivers are usually banned for six months if they receive 12 or more points within a three-year period, unless they convince a court this would result in exceptional hardship.

Points remain on licences for up to 11 years after an offence is committed, meaning some people with multiple driving convictions are legally allowed behind the wheel because they have served a period of disqualification.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) figures, which are a snapshot from Sept 14, do not show how many motorists avoided a ban despite reaching the 12-point mark.

Steve Gooding, the director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, 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.

“A bit more transparency in the system might ensure the right balance is being struck between personal mobility and our collective safety. It could also improve public confidence in justice.

“Exceptional hardship needs to be truly exceptional.”

The DVLA said where the threshold of 12-points is met but a disqualification is not imposed, it contacts the court to check that was the judge’s intention.