Motorist Still At Wheel With Record Points Tally

THE Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has discovered a motorist has accrued a record 45 penalty points on his driving licence in a nine-month period and is still on the road.

Obtaining the figures from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) following a Freedom of Information Act request, the IAM has uncovered the worrying tale of a driver from Liverpool who racked up the points tally for eight offences of either failing to disclose the identity of the driver or for speeding between October 1 2012 and June 20 2013.

His total exceeded the previous still-driving record of 42 points. Drivers who tot up 12 points within three years can be disqualified.

The figures obtained by the IAM also showed:

:: The second-highest points total, 36, went to a man from Warrington, Cheshire, who was caught driving without insurance six times in less than two weeks between February and March 2012.

:: A woman from Lincoln with 34 points, who was caught speeding three times and failed to give information to identify the driver four times between January 2012 and September 2012.

:: A female from Hull with 31 points, who was caught speeding eight times in two months between September and November 2011.

:: A man from Westcliff-on-Sea in Essex , with 30 points, who was caught speeding six times in just two weeks, between September 30 and October 13 2012.

Commenting on the figures from the DVLA, IAM chief executive Simon Best said: "Last September, we highlighted a driver with 42 points on their licence and we were told that more would be done to address the issue. Incredibly, we now have someone driving with 45 points.

"DVLA must rapidly overall their systems and working relationships with the courts to ensure that the whole principle of 12 points and you are off the road is not undermined."

He went on: "Any suggestion that some drivers may be able to speed with impunity and then talk themselves out of a ban puts our whole approach to enforcement into question. The police and the motoring public need to have confidence that those caught speeding or breaking other motoring laws will be dealt with equally."

Failing to give the identity of the owner, speeding, and driving uninsured were the most common reasons for points, the IAM said.

By Press Association reporters