Dozens of drivers clocked speeding at least 10 times in four years

Thirty-eight British drivers have been caught speeding at least 10 times in the past four years, an investigation has found.

One driver has even been clocked driving too fast on 25 occasions at an average of once every eight weeks, according to figures obtained by the Press Association.

Motorists are usually given a driving ban if they are caught speeding four times within three years, but some are able to keep their licence by convincing a court that disqualification would cause exceptional hardship.

Data obtained from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency following a freedom of information request revealed that nearly a quarter of a million motorists have multiple endorsements on their licence for speeding.

Road safety campaigners described the figures as “shocking”, while Olympic cycling champion Chris Boardman claimed allowing repeat offenders to keep their licence is “plain wrong”.

The data relates to the number of SP30 endorsements held on driving records as of April 20.

The endorsements are handed out to drivers found exceeding the speed limit and stay on a licence for four years.

They normally result in a driver being given three penalty points, and anyone who gets 12 or more points within three years is usually banned for six months.

In addition to those drivers who successfully persuade a court not to issue a ban, some motorists are able to accumulate SP30 endorsements in double figures by ignoring their disqualification or re-offending after serving a ban and having their licence returned legitimately.

Samuel Nahk, senior public affairs officer at road safety charity Brake, said speeding drivers put everyone on the road “in grave danger” and claimed it is “shocking to see this many being caught exceeding the limit multiple times”.

He went on: “These dangerous, repeat offenders have had plenty of opportunity to change their driving behaviour, yet continue to show complete disregard for other people’s lives and the law.

“The law must be used to its fullest extent with increased use of driving bans and the closure of the ‘exceptional circumstances’ loophole to keep these dangerous drivers off our roads.”

Speeding drivers are responsible for around one in seven road fatalities.

Department for Transport data shows 220 people were killed and a further 1,493 were seriously injured in crashes in 2017 in which a driver breaking the speed limit was a contributory factor.

Boardman, who was appointed Greater Manchester’s cycling and walking commissioner in July 2017, said: “A law that allows repeat offenders to keep driving because of ‘exceptional circumstances’ is protecting the criminal over the rest of us and is just plain wrong.

“The points system is the safety buffer and if three chances isn’t enough to get the message across, then you really shouldn’t be driving.”

He added that speeding drivers make streets “much more intimidating” and put people off travelling on foot or by bike.