Three drivers with 18 points still on the roads in South Tyneside

According to new figures from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, 44 drivers with a South Tyneside postcode had more than 12 penalty points on their licence in March – enough to trigger a ban.

Three drivers managed to rack up 18 points each.

The DVLA figures also show there are 140,917 drivers with full or provisional licences in South Tyneside, with a combined 41,571 points between them.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa) says it is concerning that these motorists are still allowed on the roads.

If a driver reaches the 12-point threshold they face a disqualification of at least six months, unless a court accepts that 'exceptional hardship', such as job loss, would be caused.

The figures show there were almost 11,000 such drivers in Great Britain – though this was a four per cent drop on the same point last year.

Nick Lloyd, Rospa’s head of road safety, said: “It is concerning that these drivers, despite having accumulated 12 points or more on their licence, are still on our roads.

"Unfortunately some drivers either intentionally or unintentionally drive above the speed limit, thereby placing themselves, their passengers and other road users in danger."

Road safety charity Brake said the law should be used to its fullest extent when dealing with "selfish" speeders.

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns, said: "There is no justification for travelling over the speed limit, especially as people should still be minimising their journeys in lockdown.

"It is extremely important that all drivers recognise that speed limits exist to help save lives and that any crash add burden to our stretched emergency services and NHS."

The Sentencing Council recently concluded a consultation on driving offences disqualifications, with revised guidelines set to be published later this year.

Chairman Lord Justice Holroyde said: “The Council is aware of public concern that offenders who have incurred 12 penalty points or more are not always disqualified from driving.”