More than 10,000 motorists are still driving on the UK’s roads when they would normally be banned – including one with 176 penalty points, figures have shown.
The 26-year-old driver is among three male motorists who still hold a licence despite having more than 100 points.
The woman with the most points is a 50-year-old with 96 – while 53 people have at least 30 points, according to figures from the Driver And Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
Under the totting-up process, drivers are usually banned for six months if they receive 12 or more points within a three-year period.
They can still avoid a ban if they are able to convince a court this would result in exceptional hardship and impact their ability to work or care for their family.
A total of 10,056 drivers hold a valid licence despite having at least 12 points, DVLA figures revealed.
Details have not been released over the length of time the penalty points were accrued.
Nicholas Lyes, of road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, said: “These shocking statistics call into question whether the definition of exceptional hardship needs reviewing.
“Any driver that is on the cusp of a ban would normally take heed of the risk of losing their licence, but it seems that a minority continue to break the law without any consideration.
“At the very least, those that accrue 12 or more points on their licence should be required to take an additional training course, even if they are allowed to keep their licence because a court has deemed that losing it would cause exceptional hardship.”
Steve Gooding, of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: “It would be reassuring to know that someone in authority was monitoring both the absolute number of licence holders swerving a ban and the reasons why they’ve been granted leave to keep driving.
“Exceptional hardship needs to be truly exceptional.”
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The DVLA makes a record of information provided by the courts, but has no influence on sentences.
The agency said where the threshold of 12 points is met but a disqualification is not imposed, it contacts the relevant court to check that was the intention.
Points are issued following convictions for road offences, such as driving without due care and attention (three to nine points), drink-driving (three to 11 points), and speeding (three to six points).
They remain on licences for up to 11 years after an offence is committed, meaning some people with multiple driving convictions can still drive because they have served a period of disqualification.
