Drivers who have penalty points on their licence for offences like speeding should be banned from having access to fast and powerful cars, an MP has suggested.
Jim Shannon, DUP spokesman for health and transport, said that car rental companies should ban anybody with penalty points from renting a car with an engine bigger than two litres.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Shannon asked transport secretary Andrew Jones: “Would the secretary of state agree that anyone with points on their licence that would indicate a number of offences should be excluded from rental cars above a two-litre engine?”
Mr Jones replied: “He makes a very interesting point. I don't think we can necessarily exclude people from a marketplace, but of course all the rental companies do have access to a driver's records.”
Rental companies can access drivers' records
As of last year, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) scrapped the paper counterpart to the UK driving license, which contained a history of drivers’ convictions and penalties.
Now, drivers must instead generate a code via the DVLA website with the same data, which must be provided to car hire companies before a driver can hire a vehicle.
That means that rental companies can decide whether to allow a driver to rent a car, and Mr Shannon’s proposal would mean that any driver with a history of speeding could be barred access to more powerful vehicles.
Mr Jones, who has previously praised car rental companies’ “important role” in the transport industry added that he will: “take that idea forward.”
