Find out how many drivers in your postcode have penalty points on their licence

More than 2.6million motorists in Britain have penalty points on their licence, according to official statistics. 

But which postcodes have the highest percentage of drivers with points?

New research has revealed the number of motorists with penalty points in every postcode in England, Scotland and Wales – search for yours at the bottom of this page.

And we’ve also highlighted the areas with the most drivers halfway towards losing their licence altogether and locations with the highest level of disqualified drivers.

Racking up penalty points costs UK drivers more than £132million a year in higher insurance premiums, according to the Institute of Advanced Motorists.

A staggering 1.45million people caught committing driving offences opted to take part in retraining courses just to avoid accumulating points – and hefty fines.

Despite this, more than 2.6million currently have points on their licences, based on the latest Department for Transport figures.

With around 48.8million motorists (40.6million full licence holders and 8.2million with provisional licences), it means around five per cent of the nation’s drivers have points.

But which postcodes have drivers with the most?

According to a new investigation by Regtransfers, the postcode TS2 in Cleveland, North Yorkshire has the highest rate of motorists with points on their licence.

Of the 353 qualified motorists living in the area, 48 of them have points on their licence – working out at 13.6 per cent.

However, a closer look at the data shows that Bradford has two postcodes in the top five when it comes to drivers with penalty points per motorist. 

This suggestion somewhat tallies with other research that suggests the quality of driving in Bradford is below par.

Direct Line said the city topped the charts for the number of accidents involving uninsured drivers in 2017, while data for the same year revealed by Moneybarn also found that Bradford had the lowest pass rates for driving theory tests, with just 42 per cent succeeding at the first attempt. 

Similarly, three postcodes in the town of Taunton, Somerset appear in the top 10 worst postcodes for drivers with the most penalty points. 

Regtransfers explained that this may be due to the ‘result of particularly efficient speed cameras in the area’. 

That’s because five camera sites in the Avon and Somerset area have captured almost 135,000 speeding drivers between 2016 and 2018, making it one of the most active speed camera location across the country.

Other notable mentions in the top ten worst postcode districts in England, Scotland and Wales include the Scottish city of Perth and Bristol, which both had two postcode districts featured – (PH35, PH39 and BS13, B340 respectively. 

Rick Cadger, of Regtransfers said: ‘It’s interesting to see that the top 10 worst postcode districts in the UK are spread across only five cities. 

‘There appears to be an equal divide of north and south postcodes in the top ten with five of the top ten postcodes emerging from the West Country, and the other five from more northern cities such as Cleveland, Perth and Bradford.

‘While the number of points on a driver’s licence may be an indicator of poor driving, it’s interesting to consider factors such as road standards, the quality of driving education and the degree of road law enforcement in the area.’ 

Want to know how many drivers in your postcode have points? Scroll to the bottom of the page to find out. 

Data released by the DVLA also revealed which locations had the highest number of motorists with more than 6 points on their licence – and the areas with the most disqualified drivers

Areas with the most drivers with more than 6 points 

A Freedom of Information request to the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency has also revealed which locations have the most motorists with six points or more on their current driving record.  

According to Hippo Leasing, almost 650,000 drivers in Great Britain had six or more points on their driving licence at the end of January. 

Per capita, Northumberland has the highest percentage of motorists with half a dozen points on their licences licence, crowning it the county in Britain with the least law-abiding drivers.

Greater Manchester comes in second place, with nearly 25,000 motorists holding six or more points on their licence. Two Scottish councils – Denbighshire and Angus – come in third and fourth place and West Yorkshire in fifth.

If a motorist obtains more than 12 points on their driving licence within a three-year period they will receive a driving ban – unless drivers appeal in court that it will impact whether they can work or not.

The number is even lower for new drivers, who are automatically disqualified if they receive six or more points in the first two years.

In Britain, 20,583 drivers are disqualified according to the DVLA. 

Taking into account population size, Greater Manchester has the highest number of disqualified drivers (955 people), followed by West Yorkshire in second place, Denbighshire in Wales in third, Cardiff in fourth and Northumberland in fifth.

When it comes to good behaviour, it appears that motorists living in Scotland are the most law-abiding drivers and the least likely to have six or more points. 

However, with Transport Scotland planning more speed cameras to increase road safety in the coming months, this may not be the case for much longer.