Totting Up

Under section 35 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 if a person receives twelve or more points on their licence within three years, the Court is required to disqualify them from driving for a minimum period of 6 months. This minimum period is increased according to the number of applicable previous disqualifications to be taken into account – one year if 1 previous disqualification, and two years if more than 1. However, the Court can refrain from imposing a totting up disqualification or reduce the minimum period if, having regard to all the circumstances, grounds for mitigation exist or disqualification would cause ‘exceptional hardship.’