UK Licence Points System a Fail?

The official upper limit for licence points, according to the UK's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), is 12; six for those who have held a licence for three years or less.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Law-abiding drivers will be shocked that so many drivers are on the road with more than 12 points. The ‘totting up’ principle is supposed to give a simple 'four strikes and you're out message',” he said. "Anything more should mean instant disqualification.

 “There must be tighter practice in courts and at the DVLA to take these people off the road or ensure they undergo driver re-training to break their bad driving habits."

The UK has 20.5-million male and 16.8-million female licensed drivers but it’s the men who disobey the laws of the road. One holds the most points (36). According to a survey by the IAM, of the top 99 'pointers' only 14 are women. There are 2256 max demerits men still driving with more than 12 points but only 351 women.

Foxy Lady Drivers’ Club MD Steph Savill said: "For most drivers collecting points is expensive, embarrassing and potentially highly stressful but they make us more vigilant drivers.

"The relative few who collect 12 points in a fairly short time must be either ignorant or contemptuous of the rules of the road. They are getting away with it because the courts seem unwilling to play the disqualification card."