In the UK any provisional licence holder who passes the driving test is on probation for the first 2 years, and if you get 6 penalty points or more during your this period your full UK driving licence will be revoked under the new drivers act, and you will revert back to a learner driver status and will have to retake the DSA 'L' test again.
Penalty points on the Provisional Licence
As a learner driver you are bound to make mistakes especially if you are out doing private practice and are not being supervised by a professional driving instructor, you might be caught for accidentally speeding (SP30 or SP50), which is why you can have up to 6 points on your provisional licence and still be able to take the DSA driving test. If you however have more than 6 points on your licence, then you are entering a grey area!
9 Points on your provisional licence will not stop you from taking the test, as the DSA examiner has no powers to deny you a test, however even if you pass the test, it is up to the DVLA to decide whether to issue you with a full driving licence or not so if you need to know if your particular situation will mean a full driving licence with more than 6 points on your provisional, you you contact the DVLA directly giving them your licence number.
12 points on a driving licence
If you get 12 points on a licence provisional or full, you will get a driving ban, 6 months for your first offence, full details are on the DVLA Website.
Typical driving offences that can cause you to get points on your provisional are driving without car insurance, not stopping at red traffic lights, breaking the speed limit either caught by speeding camera or a traffic police officer.
Points on a licence will mean higher insurance costs as a provisional learner if you have your own car, or large premiums once you've passed the DSA test and the DVLA issue you a full driving licence.
It is better for you to use an instructor for driving lessons, spend a few hundred pounds, remain legal, than to risk being caught as a learner driver with no insurance or a proper person supervising you, you might get away with it today, but sooner than later you will get rumbuled.
Driving License Ban
If you are facing a probable ban due to already having 9 points on your driving licence, then you might want to consult one of the many solicitor companies that specilise in helping drivers to avoid driving bans before responding to any correspondence for a new traffice offence. While these solicitors can help some people avoid their licence being revoked, you will have to consult them first to see if they can help with your individual circumstances. I have no idea what these traffic offence lawyers charge, but we all know that lawyers are not cheap, so it is best if you can avoid commiting the offence in the first place and avoid the penalty points.
Recommended Product
Focus Media's Driving Test simulator
for the PC, a virtual driving test simulator for provisional licence holders based on the real DSA driving test.
