A Swindon motorist has 39 penalty points on his or her licence - the most in Great Britain - but not been banned.
638 drivers in Bristol, Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset and Gloucestershire have 12 or more points.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-13277186
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I suppose it's because the points last 5 years.
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Points only last 4 years SFAIK but insurers etc ask about convictions in the last 5 years. The loon who is the subject of the points report is not OK to drive, merely legal!
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I wonder if it's possible that this level of points has accumulated by just ignoring FPNs for speeding, but points being applied anyway?? It seems unlikely that any court would allow someone with that number of points to continue driving, particularly as, reading the article, the 'extreme hardship' card can only be played once
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Speeding notices are NIPs not FPNs. Registered keeper has to name the driver, if they ignore the NIP the police won't know whose licence to puts the points onto.
Last edited by: Perky Penguin on Thu 5 May 11 at 17:22
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Ah OK, thanks. But if someone just gives the details of a (deceased??) relative, could the points accumulate? Or, once you hit the 12 does the computer say no and it gets referred to Court. Just pondering really...
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>> if they ignore the NIP the police won't know whose licence to puts the points onto
It can't be that simple, or we'd all do that...
As to the question of how someone racks up 39 points: They could have been driving (speeding) through a new SPECS area, or past a particular fixed camera, morning and evening on their commute, for only 6 days = 2x 3 points per day, total of 36 points racked up before the first NIP hits the doormat and the driver knows they've been caught. Add on another 3 from, say, a couple of years ago.
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Good Point Dave! I hadn't considered that a trip up the M1, ignoring the SPECS, could get one that many points in a day! I don't know what happens to people who ignore NIPs. They aren't sent recorded so it can be claimed that they haven't been delivered - what happens next? New one sent recorded or a visit from one's local police person?
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I think you will find that a NIP doesn't actually have to reach you at all. As long as the prosecution can prove it was sent within 14 days it will be deemed as served.
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Fri 6 May 11 at 08:40
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I think your are correct CGN; but, how do they "Prove" it? Do they get a proof of posting for every NIP they issue?
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They don't actually even have to prove it was sent. The defence has to prove it was not sent - Difficult!
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They couldn't possibly prove that it hadn't been sent but they could state, truthfully or not, that it had not been received. Bearing in the amount of mail which goes astray, daily, not being delivered is at least a possibility.
"Millions of items of mail are lost every year in Britain, a postal watchdog has found.
Nearly 60 percent of these are simply put through the wrong door.
Postwatch is launching a campaign to encourage customers to complain having found that only one in 10 customers contact Royal Mail about missing post.
Royal Mail says that the 14.4 million items of 'lost post' makes up a small proportion of the 21 billion items that are delivered every year"
Of course many people do not complain about missing post. If they aren't expecting it (NIP etc) - they don't know it is missing!
Figures are from 2004 BTW
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' but they could state, truthfully or not, that it had not been received.'
Indeed they could but it won't make any difference if it has been sent.
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>> a trip up the M1, ignoring the SPECS, could get one that many points in a day
I heard that if a driver holds a consistent high speed past several cameras (e.g. M25 western section, M42 east of Brum) it can be held to be a single offence, even though half a dozen separate cameras have been triggered. Not sure the driver'd get off any more lightly though :)
I've use the M1 past Catthorpe half a dozen times in the last month, it still baffles me that around 15%-20% of traffic makes no attempt to slow down from 70mph+ for the 2 mile long 50mph SPECS-enforced section. No common theme to the vehicles either, everything from brand new executive cars through 3 or 4-year-old fully laden family cars down to rusty bangers speeding through there, are they all getting points and fines?
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I have a theory, being that most of the specs cameras on motorway roadworks don't work.
My theory being that the IR lighting on the standard specs gantry is not up to the job. I see some instances where the lighting at a specs camera is supplemented by additional lights at the side of the road
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39 penalty points but still OK to drive !!! - Shiny
