NI 25 - Drivers with 12 points and more not banned by courts

Post date: 23-Sep-2015 14:46:13

A freedom of information request has revealed that in July 2015 in England and Wales that we had 19,848 drivers with 12 or more points with one third, 7,078, not given a ban by the courts which is up 500 from May 2015?!?

The figures show that 35% are not disqualified by the courts including those who have accumulated in excess of 40 points on their licence! Existing laws mean that any driver receiving 12 points or more within a 3 year period MUST be banned by the courts for a minimum of 6 months but they are failing to comply with this.

It seems a legal loophole is being used by the courts who can use their discretion and not disqualify a driver where such action would cause exceptional hardship but there must come a point (not a pun) where any individual with excessive points must be removed from the roads for everyone's safety when they continually drive bad and dangerously after any hearing and such a reprieve is given. Surely one let-off get out of jail card is the maximum and the next time you most certainly will be banned whatever your hardship reason given.

If you agree register your voice with the authorities to pressurise the basic law to be implemented with due common-sense and not the dangerous actions the courts are currently taking. Should any person be harmed or killed by such drivers the outcry and back lash, if it's not covered up to protect the magistrates, will be monumental once it gets into the public domain - particularly if the courts have an avoidable human disaster, blood on their hands.

Mistakes can be made and you learn from them, your driving care should sharply improve from any incident and court matter. You do not get worse and continually re-offend repeatedly unless your are stupid and dangerous in which case pay the price in being removed from driving and suffer the consequences self-imposed.

Children banned from driving

This is on the rise, 2014 figures show that 725 under 17's were disqualified which is up 5% on 2013.

In the first 6 months of 2015 a total of 284 children too young to even hold a driving licence were banned by the courts for driving illegally on the road.

The youngest disqualified is just 12 YEARS OLD and nearly 1,000 under 17's have been prosecuted more than once. One 16 year old has been prosecuted nearly 15 times for driving offences.

This clearly shows how ridicules the court actions are, how can you be banned when you can't legally drive! The high number of repeat offenders clearly shows how this is no deterrent. It is time the courts woke up from their high cost tax paying stupor and did their basic jobs of finding punishments with impact and deterrent instead of going through pointless money wasting posturing and exercises of no value or integrity. The courts can still pass bans as part of any custodial or remedial sentence levied but the ban should only come into effect at the age of 17 when they can start to legally drive. Then this will make the ban part of a meaningful stronger deterrent. It's not rocket science.

The Ministry of Justice figures show that the number of drivers jailed for driving while disqualified has fallen from 9,925 to only 1,654 in 2014. However the custody rate of 25% has remained the same. I think we can all see what is going on here and it is totally amoral and wrong that our well proven laws and deterrents are becoming so undermined in recent culture that the courts have become 'unfit for purpose' but I would personally add pathetic and pointless. Personally I have little doubt that if you are generally speaking an 'honest Joe' (a one time offender whose never been in trouble before) that facing YOU the courts will get the book out plus the kitchen sink and thrown everything at you as they deem you can pay and you will pay you - for those that aren't - be it fines and sentences! Let's get back to basics with plain common sense please before it's too late...


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