Skip to main content

Increase in number of drivers caught driving while banned

New figures obtained by BBC Radio Live from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) indicate that that the number of drivers caught driving while banned has increased by 7.5 per cent. The figures show that some 14,500 people were caught driving without a licence in 2016. One example included a motorist who was caught driving while banned four times in 12 months. The same person was also convicted for failing to stop and driving without insurance at least three times. Gloucestershire Chief C
February 7, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
New figures obtained by BBC Radio Live from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) indicate that that the number of drivers caught driving while banned has increased by 7.5 per cent. The figures show that some 14,500 people were caught driving without a licence in 2016.

One example included a motorist who was caught driving while banned four times in 12 months.

The same person was also convicted for failing to stop and driving without insurance at least three times.

Gloucestershire Chief Constable Suzette Davenport, road policing lead for the National Police Chiefs Council, said: "Generally some people who are disqualified will also be involved in other types of criminality and that might have contributed to them being banned.

"But they'll be people who are driving without insurance because they can't get insurance, because they're disqualified drivers, and so that immediately poses a risk to all of us."

Related Content

  • January 26, 2012
    What's next for traffic management and data collection?
    As the technologies and stakeholders in traffic management evolve, what can we expect to see happening in the coming years? For many, the conversation of the moment is just how, and how far, the newer technologies and services provided principally by the private sector should be allowed to intrude into the realms of traffic management.
  • April 17, 2015
    Fewer drivers punished for mobile use, police figures suggest – IAM response
    The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has responded to the BBC story this morning suggesting the number of drivers given penalty points for using mobile phones at the wheel fell by 24 per cent last year in England and Wales. In addition to the BBC’s findings, an earlier study by the Department of Transport showed 1.1 per cent of drivers in England and Scotland were observed holding a phone in their hand with a further 0.5 per cent observed holding the phone to their ear – this is potentially more tha
  • February 11, 2013
    Oregon trials road user charging
    In Oregon, gas-tax money funds about 58 per cent of the budget used to take care of the state’s roads. As vehicles become more fuel efficient, the gas tax, which is 30 cents a gallon in Oregon and 37 cents in Washington, will generate less and less money. “If we’re using gasoline and diesel sales to fund our transportation system, we’re going to be in big trouble,” said Patrick Cooney of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). Recognizing the problem early, Oregon started studying alternatives to th
  • December 22, 2015
    US traffic fatalities fall in 2014, but early estimates show 2015 trending higher
    The US saw a slight decline in traffic deaths during 2014, according to the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). However, an increase in estimated fatalities during the first six months of this year reveals a need to reinvigorate the fight against deadly behaviour on America's roads, NHSA says.