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What Are Penalty Points
Whenever you committ a road traffic offense, the courts have the power to
impose a number of penalty points on your driving licence, and they most probably will.
The number of penalty points they which can be endorsed for each individual offense is
set out in the road traffic act 1988.
When you have accumulated 12 penalty points on your licence, you will be disqualified from
driving for at least 6 months (the exact time span is for the court to decide at their
descretion). As with when you are disqualified from driving outright, for a single serious
offense, if you can prove that to lose your ability to drive would cause exessive hardship
you may be able to keep your licence in exchange for an increased fine.
When your period of being disqualified is finished, the slate is wiped clean and you start over
again.
How Long Do Penalty Points Stay On My Licence?
Penalty points only remain on your licence for a fixed period of time, after
which they expire. The length of time they remain depends on the severity of the offense.
They will reamin on your licence for 11 years if the offence is one of
the following.
- Driving whilst under the influence of drink/drugs. This is shown as D10, D20, D30
and D80 on your licence.
- Causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs.
This is shown on your licence as CD40, CD50 and CD60.
- Causing death by dangerous driving, and then failing to provide a sample for drugs
or alcohol analysis.
They will remain on your licence for 4 years if the offence is one of the
following.
- Reckless or dangerous driving. This is shown as DD40, DD60 and DD80 on your licence.
- Offenses resulting in disqualification for a period of time.
- Offenses resulting in disqualification until you have passed a retest.
How Do I Remove Expired Endorsements From My Licence?
When endorsements have expired, you may apply to have them removed from
your licence. If you do not apply to have them removed, they will remain there until you do.
You must complete the DVLA driving licence form D1, and post it, together with the appropriate
fee, your photocard licence, and the paper counterpart to
DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1AB. The D1 application form can be obtained
from any post office.
What If I Dont Have A Photocard Licence?
Because of the governments policy of phasing out the old 'paper only' driving licences,
if you do have a 'paper only' driving licence you must apply for a new photocard licence.
Therefore, you must also enclose confirmation of your identity, a passport sized photo of
yourself, and a completed DVLA Driving Licence aplication form D750, as well as the
completed D1 form and fee. The D750 form can also be obtained from any post office.
© Luke Culverwell 2001, All Rights Reserved |
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