Bans for dangerous driving up by almost a third in 2016

A Freedom of Information (FoI) request has revealed that the number of motorists in the UK who lost their licences due to dangerous driving rose by nearly a third last year.

The request, made by consumer electronics firm ASUS, found that 5,179 drivers were banned in 2016 as a result of the offence, 29 per cent higher than the previous year.

By age, motorists aged between 26 and 35 were far more likely to be banned than those in any other age group – one in three male drivers who received bans fell into that category, and 33 per cent of women who lost their licences.

By gender, the vast majority of bans were handed to men, at 87 per cent, with women accounting for 13 per cent of those disqualified from driving.

The company, best known for its laptop computers, is using the research to highlight the benefits of motorists equipping their cars with a camera, which it believes will promote safer driving.

Unsurprisingly, it has its own model to sell – the RECO Classic Car Cam.

Sales of dashcams have soared in recent years, with a number of insurers now offering discounts to motorists who use them, principally because of their value in helping determine liability in disputed claims.

But as a number stories published here on road.cc demonstrate, dashcams – like helmet or handlebar-mounted cameras used by many cyclists – can also be invaluable in capturing instances of careless or dangerous driving, with a number of police forces inviting people to submit footage for review.

ASUS UK country manager, Jon Parmar, said: “What this data has shown is that driving disqualifications are on the rise every single year.

“Irrelevant of age, gender or how long a licence has been held, more drivers are having their licences taken away for dangerous driving than ever and the numbers are staggering.

“Drivers need to have safety at the forefront of their minds when stepping into a vehicle and that is exactly what we’re aiming to do with the RECO Classic.

“Not only do you have the added reassurance that your entire journey is recorded so you can go back and pinpoint a vital moment, but it will also have a considerable impact on annual car insurance costs.

“Car cams need to become an integral part of every driver’s experience from the moment they first pass their driving test,” he added.