Driver with 30 points still on the roads in Sunderland

More than 70 drivers in Sunderland are on the road despite having enough penalty points to be banned from the being behind the wheel of a car.

According to new figures from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, 76 drivers with a Sunderland postcode had more than 12 penalty points on their licence in March – enough to trigger a ban.

Two drivers had at least 20 points, with one managing to rack up 30.

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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.

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

The DVLA figures show there are 223,253 drivers with full or provisional licences in Sunderland, with a combined 70,808 points between them.

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.

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"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.”