A Brighouse man has racked up an astonishing 30 penalty points on his driving licence – and he is still on the road.
The man was punished for refusing to name a driver caught breaking traffic laws FIVE times.
The case is one of several highlighted today by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), who say the licence points system needs an immediate overhaul.
The Brighouse case was the seventh worst in the country in a recent survey conducted by the Institute.
You can be disqualified from driving if you build up 12 or more penalty points within three years. New drivers can be disqualified if they get six or more points in their first two years of driving.
But delays in processing court proceedings have meant drivers can clock up far more than 12 points before being disqualified.
The worst offender was a man from Liverpool who accumulated 45 penalty points, according to figures released by the DVLA.
The points were all for failing to disclose the identity of a driver or speeding between October 2012, and June 2013. This beats the previous record of 42 points. The second highest points total of 36 went to a man from Warrington, Cheshire, who was caught driving without insurance six times in less than two weeks in February and March 2012.
Other notable offenders included a woman from Lincoln with 34 points, who was caught speeding three times and failed to give information to identify the driver four times. Failing to give the identity of the owner, speeding, and driving uninsured are the most common reasons for penalty points.
A total of 11,588 Huddersfield drivers have penalty points on their licences.
Most have just three points but one man from the HD2 area has 21 points on his licence.
Nine have more than 12 points but are still driving.
IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Last September, the IAM highlighted a driver with 42 points on their licence and we were told that more would be done to address the issue. “Incredibly, we now have someone driving with 45 points.
“The DVLA must rapidly overhaul their systems and working relationships with the courts to ensure that the principle of 12 points and you are off the road is not undermined.
“Any suggestion that drivers may be able to speed with impunity and then talk themselves out of a ban puts our whole approach to enforcement into question.
“The police and public need to have confidence that those caught speeding or breaking other motoring laws will be dealt with equally.”
A DVLA spokeswoman said: “The DVLA’s role is to record information provided by the courts.
“The courts are able to use their discretion to decide whether or not to disqualify a driver.”
