Yorkshire tops the list of areas with most dangerous drivers

Drone point of view of car travelling through country scenic route

Planning a roadtrip to Yorkshire soon? You might want to change plans, especially if you want to avoid the UK’s most dangerous drivers, who according to a recent survey, can be found in Yorkshire.

From Halifax to the Shetland Islands

A study carried out by car leasing comparison site Moneyshake analysed the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) driving licence data to find the number of issued driving licences and applied penalty points in each postcode area of the country.

The number of penalty points was divided by the number of driving licences in each area to get a final average point per licence score, before ranking them from highest to lowest to reveal the areas with the most and least points on their licences.

Halifax in West Yorkshire topped the list – drivers have 11,402 points across 125,106 licences, meaning that on average, one in 33 people have three points on their licences.

Two more Yorkshire regions take second and third place, with one in 35 Bradford drivers having three points and Wakefield where one in 37 have three points.

On the other end, however, in the Shetland Islands, there are 367 points across 18,238 licences, meaning on average, just 1 in 149 drivers have three points on their licences.

The areas with the most points on their licences are:

  1. Halifax
  2. Bradford
  3. Wakefield
  4. Huddersfield
  5. Leeds
  6. Telford
  7. Slough
  8. Northampton
  9. Liverpool
  10. Plymouth

The areas with the least points on their licences are:

  1. Shetland Islands
  2. London Western Central
  3. London Eastern Central
  4. Hebrides
  5. Kirkwall
  6. Canterbury
  7. London Southwest
  8. London East
  9. London West
  10. Galashiels

Make safety a priority

Eben Lovatt, CEO of Moneyshake warned motorists to drive safely and avoid points: “To avoid landing points on your licence you need to be cautious when you’re on the road and adhere to driving laws.

“If drivers get 12 or more penalty points within three years, they can be banned from driving and for new drivers, if they get six or more points within two years of passing their test, their licence can be cancelled or revoked. Any points from a provisional licence will also be carried over once the driver passes their test.

“The more serious the offence, the more points drivers will gain on their licence, and they can stay on your driving record for 4-11 years. Points for most offences last for four years, so it’s sometimes possible to have more than 12 points on your licence but still be allowed to drive if the offences are spread out.”

Are aggressive cyclists also a risk to your safety? Two-thirds of drivers say yes – read more here.