Drivers could automatically lose their licence upon accumulating 12 penalty points if a new petition succeeds in changing the law.
A petition has been lodged to ban drivers from the road when they reach 12 points, until they retake a driving test. Currently, the law states that if you get 12 or more points within three years you can be banned for between six months and two years. If you are disqualified for more than 56 days you must apply for a new licence before driving again.
However, recent data at the end of last year showed that there were 10,056 drivers in the UK with a valid licence despite having at least 12 points. More than 50 held licenses despite totting up more than 30 points and three male licence holders had more than 100 points.
Under the current law, drivers can avoid a driving ban if they can convince a court this would result in severe hardship for them or their family – for example being unable to get to work or care for relatives. The DVLA figures do not state how those drivers avoided a ban and while it records information by the courts, it has no influence on sentences, as reported by Coventry Live.
The new petition states: “Make it an automatic driving ban until you retake your driving test when you reach 12 points on your driving licence. We think having some people with over 30 points still driving, makes a mockery of the law and is a danger to others on our roads.” It adds that “vehicles are weapons and must be driven safely”.
If the petition gets 10,000 signatures it will get a government response, and if it gathers 100,000, it will be considered for debate in parliament. “We think saving lives should be paramount with thousands killed or injured each year through drivers doing stupid things,” the petition argues.
Every 17 minutes, someone is killed or seriously injured on UK roads, according to road safety charity Brake. In 2023, data showed that 1,695 people were killed and 28,967 were seriously injured and aside from the pandemic, there has been little change in the number of those killed or injured on roads in the past decade.
Brake has also argued that the penalty points system is “being undermined”. It says: “Many drivers who have reached 12 points have been using a loophole to keep their licence by claiming it would cause ‘exceptional hardship’ if they were banned. This loophole needs closing urgently.” It states that “drivers who reach 12 points should be automatically disqualified to protect themselves and others”. Brake’s chief executive Ross Moorlock has said: “Driving is a privilege, not a right, and those who show a disregard for the law shouldn’t be allowed to endanger others.”
Drink-drivers can be disqualified and may also be fined or sent to prison depending on the offence. They have to apply for a new licence after the disqualification ends and “high risk offenders” must prove that they are fit to drive again which involves passing a medical examination with a DVLA-approved doctor.