Welsh driver with over 200 penalty points still holds a valid driving licence

18th Nov 2024

A man from Flintshire in North Wales holds a valid UK driving licence, despite the fact that he has accumulated 229 penalty points.

The 26-year-old is reportedly just one of over 50 drivers in the UK who are legally permitted to drive with at least 30 penalty points on their record.

These alarming statistics have prompted calls for repeat offenders to undergo mandatory retraining and testing to prove they are worth of being behind the wheel.

The data, which comes from August 2024 and was obtained by the BBC through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), reveals that 10,000 licence holders across England, Wales and Scotland have accumulated 12 or more penalty points.

This is what the typical threshold for a driving ban.

Across the three countries, three male drivers hold more than 100 points, while the highest total for a female driver is 96 points, held by a 50-year-old, according to an analysis by the PA news agency.

How do you get points on your driving licence?

Drivers in the UK can acquire points on their licence for a variety of road offences.

These include speeding, driving without due car and attention, running a red light, using a mobile phone, being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, failing to stop after an accident, not wearing a seatbelt, dangerous driving, failing to obey road signs, and driving without insurance.

You can also receive points for not having a valid, in-date UK driving licence.

Why are drivers with more than 12 points on their licence still allowed to drive?

UK drivers can face a six-month ban if they accumulate 12 or more points within a three-year period.

Once the three-year limit has passed, the points on the licence are reset to zero.

However, within the three-year period, drivers can argue in court that a ban would cause problems that will cause a loss of earnings or more personal reasons, which could result in them being able to continue driving even with 12 or more points on their record.