Penalty Points and Your Driving Test

Penalty points are the scariest thing you can say to a new driver. Those license taking points accumulate when you violate traffic laws, and they can eventually cause your license to disappear. Here is a guide to penalty points in the UK by Shola Ogunlokun. Watch out!

UK Provisional License - Penalty Points and the Driving Test


If you posses a UK provisional license then you need to beware of the effects of penalty points on your license, and your ability to take the UK driving test.

First of all learner drivers in the UK must be supervised by a full UK license holder who is 21 years or older and has held their license for a minimum of 3 years. Any offence committed by a provisional license holder resulting in penalty points being added to their license could also result in the supervising driver being prosecuted for aiding and abetting.

Here are 6 facts you need to know about penalty points on UK provisional licenses and the driving test.

1. Any points added to your provisional license will stay on for a minimum of 4 years, some penalty points can stay for as long as 10 years!

2. There is no driving course or any other means of getting points off your license, they can only be removed after the statutory time has expired.

3. Points are not automatically removed from licenses, you have to apply to the DVLA and pay a fee for the points to be removed.

4. Points on your provisional license will not stop you from taking the driving test, but if you have more than 6 points on your license, then your license will be revoked under the new driver act! Your pass certificate along with your provisional license will be sent to the DVLA, and you will get a letter back advising that you are once again a learner and need to pass the driving test again.

5. 12 points or more on any UK driving license means a ban.

6. Penalty points on a driving license usually results in higher insurance premiums, so it is in your own interest to abide by the law.

So if you are a holder of a UK provisional driving license, drive carefully, don't break the law otherwise it is going to cost you in time and money to get your full UK driving license.

Shola Ogunlokun is a qualified and approved UK driving instructor, runs a blog UK driving school where he provides free online articles, tips and videos for provisional licence holders to help them pass the UK driving test.

Source: EzineArticles.com.

Even though this article is about the UK, penalty points exist in many countries, mostly in the form described here. Really, drive safely and lawfully.

Nadav

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