Penalty points, and the three clocks

The rules, in full

• Points run from 1 to 11 on a single offence. The commonest endorsement in the country, SP30 for exceeding the limit on a public road, carries 3 to 6.
• Most endorsements stay on the record for 4 years from the date of the offence. Dangerous driving codes and any offence that ends in a disqualification run 4 years from the date of the conviction instead.
• Drink and drug driving, and causing death by careless driving under the influence, stay for 11 years from the date of the conviction. Those are codes CD40, CD50, CD60, CD70, DR10, DR20, DR30, DR31, DR61, DG10, DG60 and DR80.
• There is a second clock inside the first. A 4 year endorsement is valid, meaning a court can count it against you, for the first 3 years. An 11 year endorsement is valid for the first 10. After that it stays on the record but is spent.
• Insurers and employers can see a 4 year endorsement for the whole 4 years, and an 11 year endorsement for the first 5, or the first 30 months if you were under 18.
• Reaching 12 points inside 3 years means the court must disqualify for at least 6 months, unless it is satisfied there are grounds to mitigate. A second disqualification inside 3 years is 12 months and a third is 2 years.
• The only argument that reaches that mitigation is exceptional hardship. Section 35(4) of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 rules out ordinary hardship, rules out any argument that the offence was not serious, and rules out relying on the same grounds twice inside 3 years.
• A driver inside 2 years of their first pass has a 6 point limit, not 12. Reaching it revokes the licence, and the only route back is a new provisional and both parts of the test again. Points carried over from a provisional licence count towards that 6.
• The 2 year probationary period does not restart when you pass a test in another category, so passing a lorry test does not give you a fresh 2 years.
• Codes are modified for secondary liability. Aiding and abetting changes the 0 in the code to a 2, causing or allowing changes it to a 4, and encouraging or persuading changes it to a 6. The points are the same as for the principal offence.

Every endorsement code

Common questions

How long do penalty points stay on my licence?

Four years from the date of the offence for most codes. Dangerous driving and anything ending in a disqualification run four years from the conviction. Drink and drug driving codes stay for eleven years from the conviction.

How many points before I lose my licence?

Twelve within three years means the court must disqualify for at least six months, unless it is satisfied there are grounds to mitigate. A second disqualification within three years is twelve months and a third is two years.

What is the rule for new drivers?

Six points within two years of passing your first test revokes the licence. You go back to a provisional and have to pass both the theory and the practical test again. Points carried over from a provisional licence count towards the six.

What is exceptional hardship?

The only argument that can keep a licence at twelve points. Section 35 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 excludes ordinary hardship, excludes any argument that the offence was not serious, and stops the same grounds being used twice within three years.

Related pages

• Speeding finesWhere most endorsements come from.
• Penalty charge noticesCouncil penalties and private parking charges are separate systems.
• Licence codesThe other numbers on the photocard, which are not endorsements.
• Licence categoriesWhat each entitlement lets you drive.
• Insurance groupsWhy an endorsement moves a premium more than the car does.