Drivers with 30 points not banned

18/10/11

By Chris Gibbings

Drivers who have accumulated up to 30 points on their licences have not been banned, with 10,072 having at least 12 points and still staying on the roads, a survey shows.

The figures come from road safety charity Brake, which said one driver in Bradford kept his licence after totting up 32 points having been caught driving without insurance four times. Five drivers with 30 points are still on the roads, said Brake.

Some areas of the country have seen more than 1,000 of the 12 points-plus drivers still on the road, including London and south-east England, Yorkshire and Humberside and north-west England.

Many drivers successfully plead that a ban would cause "exceptional hardship", said Brake. Motorists can normally expect a six-month ban at least once they reach 12 points.

However, the figures show 13,449 drivers with 12 points or more have been disqualified, meaning 43 per cent of those with 12 points or more have hung on to their licences.

The figures come from data provided by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.