Brake pushes for learner driver penalty points disqualification

Brake are pushing for a reduction in the amount of penalty points a learner can have before being disqualified. The road safety campaigners found that 42,000 provisional licence holders are on the roads with six or more penalty points.

The national road safety charity, which aims to prevent dangerous driving that leads to both deaths and injuries on British roads each day, received the data under a Freedom of Information request to the DVLA. It showed that from April 2019, 66,575 learner drivers held endorsements on their licence.

A total of 42,883 people held six or more points, with 1,005 having 12 or more points. The highest number of points held by one of these drivers was 35.

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said: “How can it be right that learner drivers with a track record of committing multiple driving offences are still free to obtain a full licence and drive on our roads?

“Newly qualified drivers face losing their licence if they commit multiple driving offences so surely at least the same standards should apply to learner drivers too?

“We are calling on the Government to look into this with a view to reduce the number of penalty points a learner driver can get before losing their licence and prevent them from taking a driving test with multiple points on their provisional licence.”

The New Drivers Act penalises drivers who get six or more penalty points within two years of passing their test, revoking their licence.

To return to the road the driver must get a new provisional licence and pass the theory and practical driving tests again.

However, provisional licence holders, are allowed to have up to 11 points on their licence without punishment.

The Department for Transport (DfT) provided statistics that showed both learner and inexperienced drivers were a factor in 3% of deaths 5% of serious injuries on the road in 2017.

Brake's research comes after Bristol was revealed as having the highest proportion of drivers with at least three penalty points on their licence.

The research, from Motorway.co.uk, revealed that 6.8% of the population have at least three points on their licence, some 60,000 drivers registered in the Bristol area. More than 14,279 are multiple offenders, with at least six points on their licences.

The figures are supported by speed camera data obtained from local police forces, which shows that the two most active speed cameras in the UK, are on the M32 to Bristol and between Bristol Junction 19 and 20 on the M4.