Drivers swap penalty points

A recent survey from the AA has found that around 300,000 UK drivers may have successfully convinced another driver to take on their speeding penalty points.

This strategy could prove risky for drivers, however, as 12% of survey respondents said they would not only refuse to take on another's points, but would also report the request to the police. A further 82% would refuse to take on the points, but wouldn't report the request to the police. Only 1% said they would be prepared to take on penalty points for someone else.

Around 13% of respondents said they knew someone who had been involved in points swapping – either as the guilty driver or the driver taking on the points. Around 2% said they had personally been approached by a fellow driver and asked to take on penalty points on their behalf.

Edmund King, AA President, said:

“The AA suspects these drivers may be “passing off” penalty points to avoid getting banned or to avoid getting higher insurance premiums. Some drivers don’t seem to realise the serious nature of this offence. The best advice is to stick to speed limits to avoid detection in the first place.”