Driver who racked up 45 penalty points still on the road

A Liverpool man is still on the road despite accumulating a staggering 45 penalty points on his drivers’ licence.

Anyone with 12 or more points in a three-year period can be disqualified but figures from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) showed dozens of drivers were escaping bans.

The Liverpool driver, 45, committed eight offences of either failing to disclose the identity of the driver or for speeding between October 1, 2012 and June 20, 2013.

A man in Warrington, Cheshire, had 36 points after being caught driving without insurance six times in less than two weeks, between February and March 2012.

The highest totals included a woman from Lincoln with 34 points, who was caught speeding and failed to declare the driver.

A Hull woman was caught speeding eight times in two months in 2011, and received 31 points.

They were two of only three women in a male-dominated list of the top 20 worst offenders.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists, which requested the figures under the Freedom of Information Act, said failing to give the identity of the owner, speeding, and driving uninsured were the most common reasons for penalties.

Simon Best, chief executive, said more must be done to keep repeat offenders off the roads.

He added: “The DVLA must rapidly overhaul their systems and working relationships with the courts to ensure that the whole principle of 12 points and you are off the road is not undermined.

“Any suggestion that some drivers may be able to speed with impunity and then talk themselves out of a ban puts our whole approach to enforcement into question.

“The police and the motoring public need to have confidence that those caught speeding or breaking other motoring laws will be dealt with equally.”

A DVLA spokesman said the agency can only record information provided by the courts.

He added: “The courts are able to use their discretion to decide whether or not to disqualify a driver.”

A spokesman for the HM Courts and Tribunals Service said most drivers are disqualified with more than 12 points but magistrates can decide not to enforce a driving ban in cases where it would cause "exceptional hardship", and punish the driver with a fine instead.