1.3m motorists are on the brink of being banned

13 April 2012

More than a million motorists are one speeding conviction away from losing their licences, figures reveal.

The number has risen by more than 215,000 in the last 12 months alone.

The figure will add to the suspicions of motorists that the Government is waging war on them.

Under the totting-up system, drivers are banned once they accumulate 12 points.

Each speeding conviction normally results in a three-point penalty. In more serious cases magistrates can hand down six points.

Using a hand-held mobile phone at the wheel now also attracts three points, and this change could push many more drivers over the threshold.

As many as one in six - 16 per cent - of Britain's 33.8million drivers have points on their licence.

This means around 5.4million have been penalised for at least one offence, research from insurance company Direct Line found. Of these, one in five - 21 per cent - are a conviction away from disqualification - up from 17 per cent last year.

Out of this 21 per cent, 17 have between six and eight points and a further four per cent have nine or more.

It means that a total of 1,135,998 could be banned if they receive a single conviction.

The rise, blamed on the proliferation of speed cameras, led to a call for the Government's proposed graduated penalties scheme to be introduced as soon as possible to prevent large numbers being disqualified-This would introduce penalties-lower than three points for the least serious speeding offences.

The area with the most drivers close to disqualification is North-East England, on 20 per cent. The area with the lowest proportion is the South West.

Direct Line said drivers have paid out more than £300million in speeding fines in the last three years - a figure swollen by the spread of speed cameras.

Today's figures show that an extra 215,380 motorists moved one step closer to a driving ban last year.

The firm commissioned a survey of 2,291 adults which revealed 85 per cent of drivers with points on their licence have received them for speeding - equivalent to 4,598,090 motorists.

Most were caught by one of the UK's 6,000 speed cameras and received a £60 fixed penalty along with three points.

However, those exceeding the limit by a large margin are summoned to appear before magistrates who can impose a maximum of six points, along with a ban and a fine of up to £2,500.

Guidelines laid down by the Association of Chief Police Officers mean that anyone doing 35mph or more in a 20mph zone is prosecuted in court along with those detected at 50mph on a 30mph street, 76mph on a 50mph road and 96mph on a 70mph motorway.

Direct Line says nearly half of the speeding convictions of the last three years involved drivers being over the limit by less than 10mph.

Under the proposed graduated penalty points system, such drivers would receive fewer penalty points.

Campaigner Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed pressure group called for a fundamental rethink of traps using Gatso cameras.

"Running the daily gauntlet of speed cameras is making us into a nation of worse drivers - ask anyone on nine points," he said.

"Those on six points or more are finding it considerably harder to concentrate on the road ahead.

"Penalising millions of drivers is failing to make the roads safer. More people are facing disqualification but road deaths have increased so the system is failing."

Direct Line motor spokesman Emma Holyer said: "With the advent of speed cameras and the introduction of points for being caught for driving using a mobile phone, we urge motorists not to break the law as they could face numerous consequences, such as killing or injuring themselves or others, disqualification, job loss and financial loss."

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