Courts ‘must get tough’ on penalty points
Written by: Fuel Card Services, Last updated:11th August 2020
Vehicle safety and recovery specialist GEM Motoring Assist believes the UK’s courts must apply stricter penalties to individuals who reach 12 penalty points on their licence.
It follows the case of a Swanage driver who successfully held on to his licence despite reaching the 12-point limit after citing ‘exceptional hardship’ in court should it be revoked.
No excuse for reaching the limit
GEM stated: “A driving ban should be inevitable for anyone who has managed to tot up 12 penalty points on their licence.
“It takes a particularly careless, thoughtless or reckless person to reach this level, and their disregard for the law means they each represent a big risk for the rest of us who share the roads with them.”
The body went on to add that individuals who are facing a driving ban for reaching 12 points should have thought long and hard about the consequences of losing their licence before it reached this point.
Courts should be giving more thought to other road users and members of the public when considering cases of ‘exceptional hardship’, GEM maintained. Should these drivers be involved in an accident and be above the 12-point threshold, who really is to blame?
At present, there are almost 11,000 motorists operating in the UK with more than 12 points on their licence.
Jenny Smith, general manager for Tele-Gence, commented: “Motorists who reach the 12-point limit have demonstrated a successive disregard for their own safety and the safety of others. Taking away their licence should be viewed as an act carried out in the public interest.”
Your business can benefit from affordable telematics with no hidden start-up fees or long-term commitments. Find out how at www.tele-gence.com
back
