Motorist with 62 penalty points legally allowed to drive
A speeding driver who clocked up 62 points on his licence is still allowed to drive, the BBC has learned.
The West Yorkshire man was among 10,000 motorists legally driving on British roads last month, despite having excessive points.
Usually 12 points means a ban, but magistrates can choose not to enforce it in “exceptional cases”.
Brian Cornick, who lost his stepdaughter in a motorbike accident, said there should be “no excuses”.
He added: “The magistrates are being weak. Twelve points should be the ceiling.”
Sheena Jowett, deputy chairman of the Magistrates’ Association, the independent charity representing magistrates in England and Wales, said: “Magistrates take decisions under clear guidelines, impartially, and on the merits of each individual case.
“Automatic disqualification can be avoided or reduced in cases of ‘exceptional hardship’. The process is a robust one and the concept of hardship must be proved to an exceptional level.”
Losing a job on its own would rarely qualify, but proving it would mean being unable to pay a mortgage or feed your family, would.