Motorists resort to illegal tactics to escape convictions

Motorists are resorting to illegal tactics in a bid to escape points on their licence, according to new research.

The research, commissioned by car insurer Churchill, looked at how far motorists will go to beat the increasing number of speed cameras cropping up across Britain. It shows that 495,000 drivers have swapped penalty points for speeding with their nearest and dearest.

Another nine and a half million (29 per cent) admitted they would happily accept their loved one’s points if they were on the verge of losing their licence and seven and a half million (23 per cent) would beg their partners to do the same for them.

The research pinpoints the reasons motorists are willing to ‘point swap’, proving British adults simply can’t face living without their cars. Many claim they would not be able to work if they lost their licence (21 per cent). A further one in ten (10 per cent) said they simply couldn’t bear to have just one driver in the house and nine per cent rely on their cars to get the kids to school.

Frances Browning, spokesperson at Churchill said: “This research shows the lengths that some drivers will go to in order to stay on the roads despite committing driving offences such as speeding. Trying to escape convictions by swapping points with another person is highly illegal and can lead to prosecution. The way to avoid a speeding ban in the first place is simple – drive responsibly.”

Whilst twenty-nine million motorists (88 per cent) are aware that point swapping is illegal, the research shows that nearly one in ten (nine per cent) think it is acceptable to swap points with their partners if they have a joint insurance policy or joint car ownership.

The research also reveals that motorists are not overly concerned about the severity of speeding convictions, as half of all drivers (49 per cent) think that having more points on a driving licence doesn’t make a motorist a bad driver. Two thirds of motorists think driving convictions should be graduated - in-line with Government proposals - so that driving a little over the speed limit would only be subject to two points instead of three and more points added on for going significantly over the limit.

Browning continued: “Churchill welcomes the Government’s tiered driving offences proposals – to us, having speeding convictions on your licence means you are more likely to be considered a dangerous driver and therefore more at risk of having an accident.”

The research also revealed that nearly one in ten motorists (nine per cent) are willing to ask their partners to take the rap for other driving offences such as driving through red lights, driving using a mobile phone and driving without insurance.