A new survey carried out by drivers association AA shows that up to 300,000 drivers in the UK may have persuaded others to take their penalty points for speeding.

Knowing that a driver gets disqualified after 12 points - or after only six points for new drivers within  two years of passing their test - it's easy to understand how many motorists would do anything to avoid being banned from the roads.

But it's shocking to learn that these drivers only face a one in eight chance that they will be reported to the police for their dishonest ways: only 12% of AA members said that if asked to trade points, they would report the point-swapping attempt to the police.

It's obvious that there must be money involved behind point-swapping. It is rumoured that students in some metropolitan areas have been "buying" penalty points for £150.

"Some drivers don't seem to realise the serious nature of this offence. Often drivers will be charged with perverting the course of justice which typically results in a 4 - 9 month prison sentence or a large fine. The best advice is to stick to speed limits to avoid detection in the first place," said AA president Edward King.

There are many infamous examples of attempts of  cheating the authorities by faking the identity of the one behind the staring wheel at the time of the offence or by other means. In 2003 an army captain was given a three month prison sentence after he lied by saying that his car had been exported.

To years later, a 60 year old driver from Bradford was jailed for four months after claiming a French friend was responsible for an offence committed by his daughter. Police found that the friend had been at home with a kidney infection when the offence took place.

A more bizarre claim was the one made by Christine and Neil Hamilton in 2003: they said they didn't know who was driving after being caught over the speed limit. Even stranger is the fact that they avoided a speeding fine with such an excuse.

Be the first to comment on this.