Over 6,500 motorists have 12 penalty points or more

The DVLA confirmed the number when officials from The Co-operative Insurance demanded the facts under an enquiry Freedom of Information Act request.

The results of their enquiry revealed that 6,523 drivers remain on the roads with 12 points or more.

Young drivers are often seen as being the most dangerous on the roads, however the figures dispel this as there are more drivers in the 26 to 35 age bracket who are currently driving with 12 points or more than any other, with 1,880 on the roads. 

Drivers aged 36 to 45 (1,718) are next followed by those aged 46 to 55 (1,501), then younger drivers aged 17 to 25 (630).

Just 16 per cent of that number are female.

According to the Government's driving and transport department website, the courts can disqualify a driver if they receive 12 or more penalty points on their licence within a three year period.

Steve Kerrigan, Head of Telematics at The Co-operative Insurance, said: "Despite young drivers having the reputation for being the worst motorists, when it comes to the drivers that have an excessive amount of penalty points we have found that in majority of cases older drivers, aged 26 to 55, have more points than any other, and as a proportion of their age group.

"As new generations of young drivers come through it is extremely important for safe driving education to continue and, in future, we will hopefully have safer roads as a result.”

In its response to the FOI, the DVLA stated: “The statistics provided are likely to include cases where drivers have received court sentences including disqualification, supervision orders, community punishment orders or imprisonment. 

"Where sentences have been imposed other than through the totting up process, the penalty points follow standard periods of validity according to the offences concerned.

"Following the period of disqualification imposed, drivers can re-apply for their licence meaning that they can have a high number of valid penalty points and current entitlement to drive, even though the sentence of the court has been served. 

“In a small percentage of cases where the driver has accumulated 12 or more penalty points, the Agency understands that a Court can exercise its discretion and not disqualify the driver. 

“In the majority of these cases, Magistrates or Sentencers may have decided to allow drivers to retain their entitlement to drive where it is considered that disqualification would cause exceptional hardship.”

A DVLA spokesman added: “DVLA's role is to record the information provided by the courts. The courts are able to use their discretion to decide whether or not to disqualify a driver.”