Britain's most dangerous drivers - interactive tool to check in your area

26 April 2023 , 12:59

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Britain's motorists are currently carrying more than 2.5 million penalty points on their driving licences (Image: Getty Images)

Britain's motorists are currently carrying more than 2.5 million penalty points on their driving licences - the Mirror's interactive tool allows you to check for the most dangerous drivers in your area.

Penalty points are applied to driving licences to prevent dangerous drivers from using the roads when committing offences such as speeding, drug driving, driving without care or while using a mobile phone.

With a total of 2,686,444 points issued across the UK, a survey carried out by car leasing comparison site Moneyshake has revealed Yorkshire is where most dangerous drivers are located.

Areas across the historic county make up all top five areas where drivers have the most points on their licences, according to the method of analysis used.

The North also comes out on top with six of the top ten areas, compared to four areas in the South.

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Around the country, Scotland's Shetland Islands are where drivers have the least points, followed by parts of London.

The study analysed the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's (DVLA) driving licence data to find the number of issued driving licences and applied penalty points in each postcode area of the country.

The number of penalty points was divided by the number of driving licences in each area to get a final average point per licence score, before ranking them from highest to lowest to reveal the areas with the most and least points on their licences.

Halifax in West Yorkshire topped the list - with drivers having a huge 11,402 points across 125,106 licences, meaning that on average, one in 33 people have three points on their licences.

Penalty points are applied to driving licences to prevent dangerous drivers from using the roads when committing offences (Getty Images)

Two more Yorkshire regions take second and third place, with one in 35 Bradford drivers having three points and Wakefield where one in 37 have three points.

But in Wakefield, there is also a driver with a massive 45 points on their licences.

At the other end of the scale, in the Shetland Islands, there are 367 points across 18,238 licences, meaning on average, just 1 in 149 drivers have three points on their licences.

In second place is London Western Central, where drivers have 645 points across 230,27 licences or on average, 1 in 107 drivers have three points.

Half of the areas which have the least number of points on their licences are places in the capital (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Following in third is another area in the capital, London Eastern Central, where on average, 1 in 100 drivers have three points on their licences.

Half of the areas which have the least number of points on their licences are places in the capital which could be due to drivers in London not using their cars as much as those in other areas of Great Britain.

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Eben Lovatt, CEO of Moneyshake commented: "To avoid landing points on your licence you need to be cautious when you're on the road and adhere to driving laws.

"If drivers get 12 or more penalty points within three years, they can be banned from driving and for new drivers, if they get six or more points within two years of passing their test, their licence can be cancelled or revoked.

A total of 2,686,444 points have been issued across the UK (Getty Images)

"Any points from a provisional licence will also be carried over once the driver passes their test.

"The more serious the offence, the more points drivers will gain on their licence, and they can stay on your driving record for 4-11 years.

"Points for most offences last for four years, so it’s sometimes possible to have more than 12 points on your licence but still be allowed to drive if the offences are spread out."

The areas with the most points on their licences are:

1. Halifax
2. Bradford
3. Wakefield
4. Huddersfield
5. Leeds
6. Telford
7. Slough
8. Northampton
9. Liverpool
10. Plymouth

The areas with the least points on their licences are:

1. Shetland Islands
2. London Western Central
3. London Eastern Central
4. Hebrides
5. Kirkwall
6. Canterbury
7. London Southwest
8. London East
9. London West
10. Galashiels

David Dubas-Fisher