Did you hear the one about the man with 62 points on his licence? Imagine how hard it is for him to get insurance! 62 points is a massive number, for sure, but what’s the highest amount of points you could get on your licence?
There are over 70 different kinds of driving conviction that come with an “endorsement” of points on your licence. These convictions range from the obvious – drink driving, driving without insurance etc. – to the just plain obscure, like “furious” driving, which has little to do with being angry.
Is there a driving licence points limit?
Most people know that accruing 12 points on a licence results in a driving ban. However, there is no upper limit to the number of points you can get. If you are charged with multiple convictions at once, or get 3 points and then 11 points within 4 years, you will have more than 12 points on your licence.
Endorsements on your licence last for different lengths of time. Dangerous driving convictions last for 4 years, while drug driving offences last for 11 years. The length of an endorsement certainly adds to the chance of building up more penalty points over time.
How could you get so many points on your licence?
At first, you might think that racking up several big offences would result in getting so many points. However, drug driving and other very serious offences also come with more than just penalty points – prison time. In reality, you could end up with well over 12 points on your licence just by driving on a familiar road and not realising the cameras are working.
Driving a fraction over the limit, twice a day to work and back, could incur 30 points in five days, before the first penalty charge notice has been delivered. Ignore the penalty notices and you incur extra points. If you have not informed the DVLA of a change of address, it can be easy to miss the notices.
How can you drive with more than 12 points on your licence?
There are a number of cases where drivers accrue more than 12 points on their licence, but still keep driving. In such cases, the defendants successfully argued that to ban them from driving would result in extreme hardship. This could be financial hardship, or the case that the offending driver has dependants who would suffer such hardship. For more information on exceptional hardship check out our page.
Campaigners claim that there should be no excuses for magistrates not treating the 12 point mark as an absolute limit. The driving licence points system works as a means of deterring dangerous driving and protecting both pedestrians and other road users. In the last five years, the Government has increased the number of points you get for certain offences in an effort to crack down on dangerous driving. Fines for using your phone while driving have also increased.
However, magistrates can choose to not enforce a driving ban in the event of exceptional circumstances. Magistrates make decisions under clear guidelines, impartially, and on the merits of each individual case. Automatic disqualification can be avoided or reduced in cases of exceptional hardship. The concept of hardship must be proved to an exceptional level.
Insurance for convicted drivers
Drivers can get points on their licence for all manner of reasons. That’s why at Keith Michaels we treat you like a person not a policy number. If you’re a convicted driver looking for competitive car insurance, get in touch or check out our convicted driver insurance section.