229 Points And Still Driving

[classic33]

A driver has managed to accumulate 229 points, yet is still legally able to drive.
There's a further 10,000 valid licence holders who have 12 points or more and still driving legally.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8yq063m96o

Is the system working as it was supposed to, or are points no longer taken seriously by anyone in the motor industry.

 

[Drago]

It beggars belief that people successfully spank the hardship argument time and time again.

12 points should be a ban, no exceptions. Before considering offending is the time to think about hardship, not after you've been caught.

Considering how hard one has to work to get a ban - either persistent offending over a short period, or a whopping great piece of offending - I shall make all driving bans lifetime ones when I'm PM, which must surely be any day now.

 

[Chris S]

A driver has managed to accumulate 229 points, yet is still legally able to drive.

Can they still get insurance though?

 

[classic33]

Can they still get insurance though?

Still able to legally drive, so the answer must be yes. Insurance being a legal requirement.

 

[Arjimlad]

How to get those points by the age of 26 using "exceptional hardship" which they cannot apply for on the same grounds more than once in a three-year period ?? That's some going

 

[Andy in Germany]

It beggars belief that people successfully spank the hardship argument time and time again.

I don't follow that either; the 'hardship' is part of the consequences: if you don't want the consequences, then don't drive badly enough to get 12 points on your licence.

Given that in Germany the system seems to try and reduce the consequences for drivers, and the UK is probably as bad or worse, if you haven't managed to learn by 12 points, then you need to stop driving.

 

[sheddy]

Would graduated fines be more effective - £500 per point ?

 

[Dogtrousers]

Would graduated fines be more effective - £500 per point ?

That would mean that if you were sufficiently rich you could just ignore all motoring laws with impunity. Oh another point. Pah. Here's a grand. Keep the change.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Would graduated fines be more effective - £500 per point ?

No because then the rich drive with impunity. A ban no excuses after 12 points is the way to go.

 

[Dogtrousers]

No because then the rich drive with impunity. A ban no excuses after 12 points is the way to go.

Snap

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

As I understand it from the news story the ‘exceptional hardship’ element is on the part of others impacted by the guilty individual being banned and that they shouldn’t be punished for someone else being a twonk.

Whilst I agree with that sentiment there has to be a limit beyond which enough is enough and an individual banned.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

As I understand it from the news story the ‘exceptional hardship’ element is on the part of others impacted by the guilty individual being banned and that they shouldn’t be punished for someone else being a twonk.

Whilst I agree with that sentiment there has to be a limit beyond which enough is enough and an individual banned.

I don't agree one iota with the sentiment, I feel it's entirely without justification.

It simply allows criminality without consequence.

 

[Andy in Germany]

As I understand it from the news story the ‘exceptional hardship’ element is on the part of others impacted by the guilty individual being banned and that they shouldn’t be punished for someone else being a twonk.

Whilst I agree with that sentiment there has to be a limit beyond which enough is enough and an individual banned.

Is that applied in any other situation?

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Is that applied in any other situation?

This is even worse than any other situation as the offender can see it coming - it's an accumulation of offenses, not a single one.

 

[Alex321]

I don't follow that either; the 'hardship' is part of the consequences: if you don't want the consequences, then don't drive badly enough to get 12 points on your licence.

Given that in Germany the system seems to try and reduce the consequences for drivers, and the UK is probably as bad or worse, if you haven't managed to learn by 12 points, then you need to stop driving.

It isn't supposed to be "hardship" for you, but rather for others who depend on you. The idea being that the offender should be punished, but innocent dependents should not be.

But you are not supposed to be able to use the same hardship cause twice within a year, so how on earth somebody can accumulate 229 points and still be driving is beyond me, unless they got them all in one short period, and were tried for them all at once.