Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many drivers successfully claimed exceptional hardship when they reached 12 penalty points and continued to drive in the last five years.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s role in the driving licence endorsement and disqualification process is to update and maintain the driver record with information provided by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service. The DVLA does not disqualify individuals from driving. The courts are responsible for convicting and sentencing individuals for road traffic offences and notifies the DVLA of any convictions where the offence attracts either penalty points or a period of disqualification.

Where a driving licence holder has accumulated 12 or more penalty points, a court can exercise its discretion and not disqualify them. The courts may decide to allow drivers to retain their entitlement to drive where it is considered by the court that disqualification would cause exceptional hardship. These are decisions for the courts and not the DVLA. On 30 August 2025 there were 10,384 drivers with more than 12 or more penalty points who have current driving entitlement and have not been disqualified by a court.

The table below shows the number of drivers who have been disqualified from driving by a court as they have received 12 or more penalty points over the last four years. Some drivers may appear more than once in this table. Please note that this type of disqualification is removed from the driver record after four years so figures are not available before 30 August 2021.

The DVLA does not hold information on the number of drivers who have applied to have their driving disqualification period reduced.