Worst area for drivers revealed

The area in the UK with the worst drivers has been revealed, where almost 10% of drivers have points on their license. This is according to figures from the Department of Transport.

The research, carried out by Vantage Leasing, found that Halifax has the highest share of drivers with penalty points. Of the 111,820 licence holders in the area, a whopping 9.62% were found to have at least one point on their driving record.

Towns and cities in the north have a high proportion of poor drivers, with Bradford being home to the second highest share of points holders in Britain. As of March 2019, 34,455 motorists in Bradford have been caught by cameras and the police for breaking the law, representing 9.46% of the driving population.

Drivers in Huddersfield have the third highest share of offences racked up, at 9.04%. In contrast, Canterbury is home to the UK’s best drivers, with just 3.72% of the town’s licence holders having penalty points on their record. 

The DfT data shows there are 2,711,493 motorists in Great Britain with penalty points, accounting for 6.65% of the total driving population. However, a significant number of motorists have racked up 12 points or more – the limit before drivers face a potential disqualification**. As of March 2019, there were 11,021 motorists with 12 or more points on their licence.

London is home to the highest number of 12+ point offenders, with 969 drivers. Birmingham is second at 393, while Peterborough has the third highest share of serial offenders.   

The highest number of points on record is 60, belonging to a 41-year old male in East Sussex. The worst female driver is a 25-year old woman with 48 points on her licence, living in Nottinghamshire. The Department for Transport notes that its records of drivers with points include those with active driving disqualifications.

Vantage Leasing managing director, Rob Walker, said, ‘Interestingly, the top three areas of with the highest number of points holders are very close to one another. What is also worrying is that there are more than 11,000 drivers with 12 or more points on their licence, with some of them still potentially on the road.’