More than 8,000 UK drivers are still driving despite having 12 or more points on their licence, according to a freedom of information request to the DVLA.
The official upper limit for licence points according to DVLA is 12, or six for those who have held a licence for three years or less.
However, the freedom of information request showed many male drivers with 25-36 points were still driving.
A male driver from Warrington has the highest number of points, 36.
Currently, there are 20,439,578 male and 16,804,524 female licence holders in the UK, but it is men who fall foul of the law more often:
- Of the top 34 licence point holders, only two are women.
- Of the top 99 licence point holders, just fourteen are women.
- 2,256 men are still driving with more than 12 points on their licence.
- 351 women are still driving with more than 12 points their licence.
- The top 14 licence point holders with 25 points or more are all men.
Simon Best, chief executive of the IAM, said: “Law abiding drivers will be shocked that so many drivers are on the road who have more than 12 points.
“The ‘totting up’ principle is supposed to give a simple four strikes and you are out message.
“Anything more than this should be a disqualification, unless there are the most exceptional circumstances.
“There must be tighter practice in courts and at the DVLA to take these motorists off the road or ensure they take a driver retraining course to help them break their points habit.”
Steph Savill, managing director of FOXY Lady Drivers Club, said: “For most motorists, collecting points is expensive, embarrassing and potentially highly stressful.
“But they make us more vigilant drivers.
“The relative few who collect 12 points in a fairly short period of time must be either ignorant or contemptuous of the rules of the road.
“They are getting away with it because the courts seem unwilling to play the disqualification cards they hold.
“There may even be a case for making serial point scorers re-sit the theory and practical driving test before their licence is reinstated.”
Malcolm - 26/04/2013 13:16
Disregarding any Fines; surely, the whole idea of having points on your licence is to make you more aware and hopefully, drive within the Law. Therefore, if somebody accumulates 12 points, it should be an automatic ban - no excuses. These people are a menance to the rest of the law abiding Motorists. Sure, you can be unlucky and get a speeding fine; but, that should spur you to be a little more diligent in the future. How do those other Motorists feel, who have been banned for having 12 points, when there are others who have in excess of this and are still driving? There should be no excuses - if you lose your job, then it's your own fault. I was a lorry driver for most of my working life; so, I have covered many miles. In that time I got caught for 1 Speeding Fine; but, that just made me more careful - I did not want to lose my job.