Halifax drivers are third worst in England for racking up penalty points, research reveals

Research by car selling comparison website Motorway.co.uk showed that more than 2.5 million drivers across England and Wales currently have at least three points on their driving licences.

The data analysed was from the DVLA and looked at the number of drivers who have penalty points on their licences and the area they live in.

Drivers in Halifax were the third worst drivers for racking up points according to the data, with 6.37 per cent of the population having at least three points on their licences.

Bristol topped the list with 6.8 per cent racking up at least three points and Slough was second at 6.43 per cent.

Alex Buttle, director of car buying comparison website Motorway.co.uk said: “Almost two million people currently have at least three points on their driving licence. That’s not just a staggering number of people who have committed a motoring offence, it’s also a nice little cash generator for the Government in the form of fines. A large number of these fines will have been incurred for speeding, and in particular speeding on motorways.

“But while the stats suggest otherwise, are Bristol and Slough drivers really more dangerous than drivers from elsewhere? Rather than being ‘boy racer’ districts, one has to ask if the prevalence of a high number of main roads and speed cameras in these areas is a main contributing factor to the higher number of offences seen.

“It was perhaps not surprising to see most Greater London areas at the very bottom of the list for motoring offences as anyone who has spent time on main roads in the capital will understand the opportunity to break the speed limit is minimal with most main roads highly congested during peak hours.”

Across England and Wales, 2.69 million drivers currently have at least three points on their licences, and 11,090 have at least 12 points and are likely serving an automatic ban.

Almost 80,000 drivers have nine penalty points on their licenses, which means 79,463 drivers are one more motoring offence away from receiving an automatic ban.

Motorway.co.uk obtained the most up-to-date data on penalty points by postcode across England and Wales from the Driving Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request made in February 2019. The courts endorse driving licences with penalty points if a driver is convicted of a motoring offence. Drivers are disqualified if there are 12 or more points on their licence.