A learner driver from Oxford dubbed the 'UK’s worst driver' is still on the road despite having a shocking 51 points on her licence, according to new figures.
Statistics from the DVLA shows that the unnamed motorist racked up three speeding offences in a 30mph zone, along with seven other offences of not providing driver details.
Despite having been given 51 points and not having even passed her test, a court decided against issuing her with a driving ban after having “exercised its discretion”.
51 points on a learner licence
Currently, there are 13 motorists still allowed on Britain’s roads despite having 28 points or more on their licence, with two motorists from Basildon and Liverpool with 42 points each.
According to the DVLA, the number of drivers with 12 or more points – the number of points necessary to warrant a driving ban – rose by nine per cent between March and October last year.
The agency has a responsibility to report any driver with 12 points or more to the courts, but it says that around 90 per cent of those motorists still driving are doing so at the court’s discretion.
A DVLA spokesperson said: “In a small percentage of cases where the driver has accumulated 12 or more penalty points, the agency understands that a court can exercise its discretion and not disqualify the driver.
Courts could be seen as 'ineffective'
“In the majority of these cases, magistrates may have decided to allow drivers to retain their entitlement to drive where it is considered that disqualification would cause exceptional hardship.”
However, motoring organisations have warned that the public may see the rules of the road as ineffective if courts don’t hand out tougher punishments to drivers who break the law.
Sarah Sillars, CEO of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said: “If the public sees that persistent offenders are getting away with it, they may believe that road traffic rules - which let not us not forget, are designed for their safety - are ineffective or unimportant.”
