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Bans for dangerous driving up by almost a third in 2016

More than 5,000 drivers had their licences revoked last year after being found guilty of the offence

 

A Freedom of Information (FoI) request has revealed that the number of motorists in the UK who lost their licences due to dangerous driving rose by nearly a third last year.

The request, made by consumer electronics firm ASUS, found that 5,179 drivers were banned in 2016 as a result of the offence, 29 per cent higher than the previous year.

By age, motorists aged between 26 and 35 were far more likely to be banned than those in any other age group – one in three male drivers who received bans fell into that category, and 33 per cent of women who lost their licences.

By gender, the vast majority of bans were handed to men, at 87 per cent, with women accounting for 13 per cent of those disqualified from driving.

The company, best known for its laptop computers, is using the research to highlight the benefits of motorists equipping their cars with a camera, which it believes will promote safer driving.

Unsurprisingly, it has its own model to sell – the RECO Classic Car Cam.

Sales of dashcams have soared in recent years, with a number of insurers now offering discounts to motorists who use them, principally because of their value in helping determine liability in disputed claims.

But as a number stories published here on road.cc demonstrate, dashcams – like helmet or handlebar-mounted cameras used by many cyclists – can also be invaluable in capturing instances of careless or dangerous driving, with a number of police forces inviting people to submit footage for review.

ASUS UK country manager, Jon Parmar, said: “What this data has shown is that driving disqualifications are on the rise every single year.

“Irrelevant of age, gender or how long a licence has been held, more drivers are having their licences taken away for dangerous driving than ever and the numbers are staggering.

“Drivers need to have safety at the forefront of their minds when stepping into a vehicle and that is exactly what we’re aiming to do with the RECO Classic.

“Not only do you have the added reassurance that your entire journey is recorded so you can go back and pinpoint a vital moment, but it will also have a considerable impact on annual car insurance costs.

“Car cams need to become an integral part of every driver’s experience from the moment they first pass their driving test,” he added.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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5 comments

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BehindTheBikesheds | 7 years ago
3 likes

FPNs down from 1.84 million to 1.02 million (2010-2015) diversionary courses up from 0.47 million to 1.4million. This was noted as a concern in House of Commons Transport committee report; road Traffic Enforcement 2015-16

2015, there were 644,181 prosecutions for motoring offences in the Magistrates Courts

2015, 188 drivers were charged with ‘causing death by dangerous driving’, while 201 were charged with ‘causing death by careless driving.

Speed related sanctions up from 54% to 74% from 2010-2015

58,715 drivers banned in 2015, 62,822 banned in 2016 however 8,000 fewer drivers that were prosecuted received driving bans comparing 2016 to 2015

KSi of people on bikes has gone up massively, driving bans as a whole have not impacted people on bikes because the actual numbers of cunts allowed to get away with murder (quite literally) is not going down.

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mrmo | 7 years ago
1 like

out of interest, the number of bans rising, is this matched by a fall in the number of drivers with more than 12 points not being banned? 

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Yorkshire wallet | 7 years ago
0 likes

Retest. I know from experience of being a very naughty boy many years ago.

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burtthebike | 7 years ago
0 likes

This is great news if it means that dangerous drivers are removed from our roads, but I seem to remember recent stories about the many thousands of drivers who have more than the limit of 12 points keeping their licence.

The story doesn't mention what happens after the ban has expired: do the criminals have to pass another test or do they just get their licence back?

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mike the bike replied to burtthebike | 7 years ago
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burtthebike wrote:

..... The story doesn't mention what happens after the ban has expired: do the criminals have to pass another test or do they just get their licence back? 

 

Entirely at the discretion of the court.  Most bans don't require a retest, or an extended test; the idea is to use this secondary punishment as a deterrent to the worst offenders.

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