Bedford Driving Lessons

An increasing number of drivers are risking prosecution by illegally ‘swapping’ their penalty points for offences such as speeding, with their partner, a friend or family member in a bid to keep their driving licence clean. A new report by car insurer Direct Line reveals that 660,000 motorists (2 per cent) have persuaded their nearest and dearest to falsely take responsibility for their penalty points in order to avoid having the points added to their own licence. The number of people admitting to ‘point swapping’ has risen by a third over the past three years, from 495,000 motorists (1.5 per cent) in 2007. However, many of these motorists have chanced falling foul of the law by swapping points in order to maintain a completely clean and points-free licence, rather than resorting to points swapping when they already have a number of penalty points and are at risk of losing their licence. Over half (61 per cent) of the motorists who have engaged in points swapping – 388,080 – still have a points-free driving licence, which equates to 1.2 per cent of the motoring population. According to Direct Line’s internal data, 16 per cent of drivers have points on their licence. This research therefore suggests that one in eight of those drivers with points on their licence (2 per cent of all motorists) have actually taken the points on behalf of another driver. More