A Sunday newspaper has discovered that more than 11,000 motorists are still driving despite accumulating more than 12 points last year.  The Freedom of Information request highlighted that 10,000 of those were drivers who the courts had accepted exceptional hardship arguments for and were therefore allowed to be driving with more than 12 points.  However, 1,000 of those drivers had been disqualified from driving by the courts but details had not reached the DVLA.

These statistics show that 25% of those motorists facing disqualification have been found to have exceptional hardship and have escaped a ban.  Andrew Howard, the AA's head of road safety is outraged "You are not talking about someone who has made one mistake, but four.  If a quarter of motorists are getting let off, we seem to have forgotten the purpose of the law is to inconvenience those who repeatedly break it."

The Government has ordered that an urgent enquiry take place into why the DVLA failed to be notified about the 1,000 drivers who had been disqualified.

Full story - The Telegraph 06/09/10