More than 304,000 pensioners (over 65s) currently have penalty points on their driving licence, which is almost 25 times the number of young teenage drivers.
The findings come from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the DVLA by IAM RoadSmart.
It was also revealed that the oldest person driving with points on their licence was 102, while there are more than 3,000 people over the age of 90 currently driving with penalty points.
Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart director of Policy & Research, said: “The findings from our Freedom of Information request are surprising. Speeding and other motoring misdemeanours are often associated with younger drivers but the findings clearly show there is a large number of older drivers also flouting the rules.
“Regardless of age, the message we need to get through is that road safety is paramount and we urge drivers of all ages to stick to the speed limits and ensure their vehicles are in a roadworthy condition.
Overall, there are more drivers in their 30s with penalty points than any other age range (575,029), closely followed by those in their 40s (572,238) and then by those in their 50s (568,511). The highest single age with the greatest number of people with points was 49 (63,248).
Additional findings from the FOI discovered that there is up to 8,800 people still driving with more than 12 points – the amount at which you are disqualified – while the highest number of penalty points currently held by one individual is 68.
Greig added: “We also urge government to urgently revisit the issue of drivers with more than 12 points who still have not had their licences revoked. IAM RoadSmart has been raising this issue for almost a decade now and the problem still persists. It’s not by chance that certain drivers amass 12 or more points and they need to be removed from the public roads. By letting them keep their licence it undermines the simple “four strikes and you’re out” message and this urgently needs to be addressed.”
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Matt has been an automotive journalist for eight years. As senior staff writer he is responsible for the automotive content on Fleet News and also contributes to Automotive Management. Prior to this, Matt worked in the automotive industry for 10 years.
Edward Handley - 09/03/2021 16:36
Interesting figures, but the headline was very misleading. The worst offenders, as revealed in the figures in the article, are drivers in their 30s and 40s and the pensioners - over 65s - were just over half the number. Even that is quite misleading, as over 65 covers an age range exceeding 35 years where as when you refer to drivers in their 30s and 40s there is only a 10 year age range! The figures for the teenagers are hardly surprising. The only teenagers who can legally drive are 16 - 20 for (small) motorcycles and 17 to 20 for cars, and due to the DVSA's response to Covid, the number of teenagers who have been able to take a test over the last year is tiny, so in effect the teenager group with licences is probably only a tenth on the number of the 30s and 40s, and way less than the "Pensioners". All goes to prove that "there are lies, damned lies, and statistics".