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After totting up to twelve points on your licence you are not allowed to drive.4 x 3 for speeding and that is it.For anybody who drives everyday for a living this must be a constant worry,losing your driving licence.There must be lots of people driving with twelve points on their licence with so many speed camara's about.
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Not really, people who drive every day for a living just don't speed. At all. I can do upwards of 100,000 miles a year, and I've had one speeding ticket since 2000.
Only a small percentage of UK licence-holders have any points at all.
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I think it's about 10% have one 'on the books' at any one time. I've had one in the last 10 years that was about 5 years ago. Plenty of people have , like Dave says, have none. I wonder how many have more than 12 but get away with it by pleading special reasons at court? Why are they just more careful, if you get to that point it's hardly a one off.
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>> I wonder how many have more than 12 but get away with it by pleading special reasons at court?
I used to work with a chap, a taxi driver, who racked up 12 points in 9 months after losing his 19 year old son to illness. He kept his licence after a court appearance, but jacked in taxi driving anyway and bought a post office, which he still runs.
There have been news articles about drivers with 12+ points before but he's the only person I've known in that situation.
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Seems the record holder is 39 points with no disqualification. He might have a few more now in view of the date of publication.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1383709/Swindon-driver-39-penalty-points-licence-ban-motorist.html
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>> Not really, people who drive every day for a living just don't speed. At all.
>> I can do upwards of 100,000 miles a year, and I've had one speeding ticket
>> since 2000.
>>
>> Only a small percentage of UK licence-holders have any points at all.
>>
I absolutely agree, I got an SP30 in 1989 whilst a young driver (failed to slow going from a 50 to a 30 on a dual carriageway) - a fair cop as they say. I've since driven 300,000 or probably more miles without a single point, it's really easy - don't speed. this doesn't mean you have to mimse, just observe the limit/law.
My company used to pay for 'defensive driving' courses with ex-police instructors, they had much to say on speeding and where and by how much you could exceed the limit (or 'not draw attention to yourself' as I recall). But their attitude was simple - don't speed, limits are in place for safety reasons so those who are caught deserve little or no sympathy. consequently I think the points system is a reasonably fair approach to the problem.
On a more philosophical note, at one time it was socially acceptable to drink-drive, now (I suggest) it isn't. I wonder whether speeding will ever be similarly considered to be a bad idea ?
To wander further off-piste, this is where I find cruise control to be very useful e.g. in motorway roadworks.
Last edited by: idle_chatterer on Wed 6 Jun 12 at 03:45
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The system in use in the UK is a pretty blunt instrument.
10%+1 over the limit and bang 3 points, and what is it now £60 or £100 fine ?
I recently received a photo by post for being 10% over the speed limit in Germany (88kph in an 80 on a restricted part of the autobahn, no roadworks), 10€ fine and no points. I believe it's graduated with 1, 2 & 3 points coming in at higher speeds over.
The photo they send out now is only a thumbnail and cropped to show just the driver. Apparently there had been some fines sent out which required the husbands to explain, to slightly miffed wives, who the stunning blonde in the passenger seat was.
Last edited by: gmac on Tue 5 Jun 12 at 20:45
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I got 9 points in one chunk, drove ok for three years without getting anything else and saw them off. Its not hard.
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In France don't they have a reverse system, you start with x points and get banned when you get to 0 points?
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I think that 10 million drivers have 3 points but I can't find proof. The president of the Association of British Drivers said, in 2005 that 4 in 10 British drivers have points.
www.radar-detectors.co.uk/news_4_in_10_drivers_have_points_on_their_licence.asp
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>> I think that 10 million drivers have 3 points but I can't find proof. The
>> president of the Association of British Drivers said, in 2005 that 4 in 10 British
>> drivers have points.
Here's some figures from "Graham Hill". tinyurl.com/cfufq39
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Thanks. That is very interesting and up to date too. As an aside I note that the figures are "Broken down by sex". Years ago my work had a Government questionnaire sent round which included the question "How many people are there in your department, broken down by sex?" The answer was, of course "All of us"
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"..In France don't they have a reverse system..."
They have the reverse system in Spain - you start with 12 and then lose some for an offence. Also you gain some for no offences - extra 3 after 6 years. Currently 16m out of 26m total qualify for the extra points
Last edited by: lancara on Wed 6 Jun 12 at 08:28
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In the Neteherlands they where going to introduce the point system for speeding.The governement changed their minds.They have a point system for driving under the influence.
I used the cruise control on my car whilst driving here and abroad.Cruise control is fine but on busy roads I switched the cruise off.
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>>
>> They have the reverse system in Spain - you start with 12 and then lose
>> some for an offence. Also you gain some for no offences - extra 3 after
>> 6 years. >>
I'd have 34 points by now if I lived in Spain. I'm looking forward to spending them.
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a mate of mine got 4 points and a fine for drink driving, must have been 20 years or more ago, how he managed that il never know
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>> What do points make?
>>
I know that one. Prizes.
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"What do points make?"
Points make a Brummie drunk.
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per Zero:
>> I got 9 points in one chunk,
Was the story of how you achieved the score ever told?
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Wed 6 Jun 12 at 20:45
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>> per Zero:
>>
>> >> I got 9 points in one chunk,
>>
>> Was the story of how you achieved the score ever told?
Yes, the infamous bus incident.
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What is the point of the points system? - Dave_
