Star comment: Points? Just abide by the law

Those who drive at 35mph in a 30mph, who take a phone call that they shouldn’t or who commit another misdemeanour are more likely to find themselves in trouble than at any time in history.

Some drivers – and, for that matter, campaign groups – bemoan the Big Brother-style attitude to policing our roads. And yet it is precisely that high level of vigilance that keeps our roads safer than they might otherwise be. Limits are there for a reason and it is the responsibility of drivers to observe them. Those caught out can have no complaints when they feel the long arm of the law.

Motorists who tot up 12 points face a short ban from the roads. And yet the law is not black and white, things are not quite cut and dried. If a motorist has glanced at – but not used – a mobile phone, or driving at 46mph in a 40mph on a dry, clear day when there are few motorists around, he or she might reasonably feel hard done by if the loss of a licence means the loss of a job.

And that is why magistrates have the discretion to allow those who have accrued points to stay on the roads. It is sensible not to upend the lives of some for committing a motoring offence, if it is at the lower end of the scale. Where public safety is not put at risk, where there are extenuating circumstances and where exceptional hardship is faced, punishments should be proportion – and bans can be too punitive at times.

Yet it is remarkable that those who go way beyond the 12-point threshold can continue to drive while others cannot. When 12 points leads to bans for some but those with double or triple that number are allowed to remain on the road, the law looks illogical and unjust.

There is, of course, an easy way to avoid the peculiarities of the points system – and that’s to abide by the speed limits and rules of the Highway Code. That’s the only sure fire way to stay safe and stay mobile.