The study reveals almost half (49%) of point swappers have taken the rap for their spouse or partner.
A quarter (23%) broke the law by taking points for their daughter, compared to just 6% who did so for their son, and a further tenth (9%) said they swapped points with their mothers.
Furthermore, the study reveals men are more likely than women to take the blame for another driver’s offence, with over a quarter (28%) of men having accepted points for another motorist, compared to just a tenth (10%) of women.
When asked why these motorists have committed this crime, over a quarter (27%) said they did so because their insurance was cheap and so having points on their license would not have impacted them financially.
A quarter (23%) said they had to swap points to avoid the other motorist being banned from driving. For a fifth (18%) financial gain was their main reason for taking the points, with an average gain of £220.
Most common reasons drivers swap penalty points
27% said their insurance was cheap and points wouldn’t have impacted them financially
23% swapped points to avoid the other motorist being banned from driving
18% took the points in exchange for money
18% couldn’t agree who was driving at the time so just took the points
18% said the at fault driver was already banned from driving so would have been in even more trouble
17% took points as they themselves were already banned from driving
17% swapped points because they felt it was their fault the other driver was speeding
In addition to a fifth (19%) of motorists swapping points with another driver, over a sixth (17%) of all UK motorists say they’ve personally asked someone else to take points on their own behalf.
Half (50%) of these drivers asked their spouse, a sixth (17%) asked their sons and 14% asked their daughters.
The study also reveals that UK motorists are willing to pay more than they’ll accept when it comes to point swapping and are offering up an average of £504 to loved ones in exchange for them taking their points.
Nick Ansley, Head of Motor Insurance at the Co-op said: “It’s surprising and quite concerning that a fifth of motorists have taken penalty points for someone else.
“Penalty points are in place to deter people from committing motoring offences and to ensure safer driving for all on the roads.
“We want to ensure people are safe on the roads and whilst some drivers may think they’re helping out another, by swapping penalty points, they’re putting themselves and others at risk.”
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