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Motorist with 62 penalty points is still driving legally

Motorist with 62 penalty points is still driving legally
Motorist with 62 penalty points is still driving legally

A motorist who has racked up more than 62 penalty points on his licence is still being allowed to legally drive, an investigation has found.

The driver from West Yorkshire is one of more than 10,000 on the road who have exceeded the 12 points usually needed for an automatic ban. 

It is not clear why the man was permitted to continue on the roads, but magistrates do have discretion to waive a driving ban if the circumstances are deemed "exceptional".

While losing a job might not be enough to be considered "exceptional", a person might escape a ban if they can prove that losing their licence would lead to extreme financial hardship.

An investigation by the BBC found other motorists were still on the roads with 51, 42 and 39 points.

According to data gathered through a Freedom of Information request, there are more than 200 motorists on the roads with more than 18 penalty points.

Drivers can pick up penalty points for a range of reasons from speeding and using their mobile phones at the wheel to failing to inform the DVLA of a change in address.

The revelations have angered road safety campiagners who argue that repeat offenders should not be shown leniency.

David Nichols, of road safety charity Brake, said: “The penalty points system is supposed to be in place to protect the public from dangerous repeat offenders and it's appalling that these risky repeat offenders are allowed to keep driving.”

But Sheena Jowett, deputy chairman of the Magistrates’ Association, said: “Magistrates take decisions under clear guidelines, impartially and on the merits of each individual case.

"Automatic disqualification can be avoided or reduced in cases of ‘exceptional hardship’. The process is a robust one and the concept of hardship must be proved to an exceptional level.”