Penalty points – all you need to know

We all dread getting points on our driving licence. But some men and women swerve the difficulty with a radical manoeuvre – they simply don’t bother obtaining a licence in the very first location.

1 motorist from Lewisham in south-east London has managed to amass a enormous 40 points for 12 various motoring offences, in spite of not holding either a full or provisional licence.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IMA) found the case right after submitting a Freedom of Info request to the DVLA asking about for particulars of highest penalty point holders.

The Lewisham driver’s offences incorporate speeding in a 30mph zone and driving without insurance.

He is far from alone. The second-highest penalty points holder with no licence is from the Stockport region, and has 33 penalty points for 6 various offences.

These contain repeatedly failing to disclose details as to the identity of the driver, and getting caught speeding in a 30mph zone.

But it’s not just these who do not have licences who rack up points, of course. The highest points-holder in England and Wales is a man from Liverpool who holds 45 penalty points on a full driving licence. He collected 6 points on 5 occasions for failing to offer info about the identity of the driver, and 6 points on 3 other occasions for speeding in a 30mph zone.

How do penalty points operate?

When it comes to driving, points absolutely do not mean prizes.

If you’re convicted of a motoring offence, such as breaking the speed limit, you can be fined and your driving licence can be ‘endorsed’ with penalty points.

The more critical the offence you’ve committed, the far more penalty points you’ll get. For instance, you will get 3 points if you’re caught employing a automobile with a defective tyre, but 10 points if you’re in charge of a vehicle with an alcohol level above the legal limit.

You have to declare any penalty points you get to your insurer. The much more points you have, the greater your premiums will be.

Click here for a complete list of motoring offences, conviction codes and penalty points.

These will stay on your licence for in between 4 and 11 years, depending on what sort of offence you’ve committed.

For instance, endorsements have to keep on your licence for 4 years from the date of conviction if the offence:

• is for reckless or dangerous driving


• or if it benefits in disqualification.

If you haven’t been convicted, then endorsements must stay on your licence for 4 years from the date the offence was committed.

Points need to keep on your licence for 11 years from the date of conviction if the offence is:

• Drink driving or drug driving


• Causing death by careless driving although under the influence of drink or drugs


• Causing death by careless driving then failing to supply a specimen for evaluation.

After your points have expired, you can only remove them from your licence by sending it to DVLA and acquiring a new a single.

Dirty dozen

If you build up 12 or much more penalty points inside a 3-year period, you can be disqualified from driving.

A court will decide how extended you can be disqualified for, but if you have 12 or far more points you could be banned for:

• 6 months if you’ve got 12 penalty points or far more within 3 years


• 12 months if you have got a second disqualification inside 3 years


• 2 years if you’ve got a third disqualification.

You’ll have to apply for a new licence and possibly take your test again if you’re disqualified from driving for much more than 56 days.

If you’re a new driver, then your licence can be revoked if you get 6 or far more points within 2 years of passing your test. If this occurs, you’ll have to apply for a new provisional licence and pass one more theory and sensible test to get your full licence back once more.

If you’ve got points on your provisional licence, these will be carried more than to your full licence when you pass your test.

Avoiding points

If you are caught speeding, you will generally be fined £60 and have 3 penalty points applied to your licence.

But you could be in a position to stay away from receiving points on your licence by attending a half-day Speed Awareness course.

You will only be invited to take a course if, in the past 3 years, you haven’t been convicted of any other speeding offences, and if you didn’t exceed the legal limit by a stated amount.

If you total the course, you won’t be fined or have any penalty points on your licence.

You will have to spend to attend, though. The expense generally ranges from £60 to £100.

Premium punishment

Be conscious that going on a speed awareness course may possibly not defend you from larger insurance premiums.

You should let your insurer know about your offence, which means they could put up the expense of your cover – even though almost certainly not by as a lot as if you’d got points on your licence and not taken the course.

Does that square with your experience? Have you got any other experiences of penalty points that you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you in the box below…

Penalty points – all you need to know