Travel & Tourism

Study reveals the age group most likely to have points on their driving licence — and it’s not who you think

Don't get defensive now, people. We didn't crunch the numbers.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 13th November 2022

We all know someone who has racked up a few points on their driving licence, whether it’s a family member of that boy racer mate whose car you always avoid getting in at all costs.

However, it would seem many of our preconceptions about the so-called ‘worst’ drivers are completely misguided, according to a study carried out by confused.com.

Researching Britain’s motorists using Freedom of Information requests to the DVLA, the finance and insurance company found that there are over 2.66 million drivers with points on their licences in the UK.

Even more interestingly, the data seemed to show that despite the relatively common perception that either younger or older people are perhaps not the safest of drivers, neither of these groups ranked highest on the list of those with driving offences. It was, in fact, middle-aged drivers.

Middle-aged drivers commit the most offences

That’s right, despite those who have only recently passed their test or more senior drivers often being perceived as the biggest liabilities on the road, the most common age bracket was 30 to 34, with approximately 6,522 per 100,000 drivers (6.52%) having been given points on their licence.

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worst aged drivers middle aged
Credit: Wikimedia Commons

35-39 came in second with 6,397 and 40-44 came in third with 6,345.

Conversely – and while they obviously haven’t been on the road as long as others – it was found that those under 19 had the least offences; by some distance as well, with just 352 points per 100,000 drivers.

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While drivers with provisional licences may be included in this figure, it’s still worth noting. Moreover, the oldest age group (95 and over) with 2,186 drivers aged 95 and over per 100,000 (2.19%) having been penalised.

Once again, there are obviously far fewer drivers within this age group and making less journeys but as you can see in the full report, motorists with the most penalty points tend to bunch up between the ages of 30 and 59.

In terms of individual ages, those who are aged 32 are apparently the most likely to have points on their licence. The data reveals that 6,615 per 100,000 32-year-old drivers currently have points on their UK driver’s licence.

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Which sex picks up more points?

Their research also indicated which sex tends to be penalised most on the road, with men being over twice as likely to have points on their driving licence than women.

There was actually a fairly big difference in the number of penalty points accrued: only 3,187 out of every 100,000 female drivers (3.19%) have penalty points on their licence, whereas the rate for men was around 7,158 per 100,000 (7.16%).

So, while there are roughly similar numbers of men and women on the roads (26.4 million compared to 24 million), 1.9 million men have points compared to around 766,000 women.

Hey, don’t look at us — the numbers don’t lie and it’s you lot doing the driving.

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Other stats

The most common kind of penalty offence committed in the UK was breaking the speed limit on a public road with 2,158,179 offences, followed by speeding on motorways.

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As for the areas where drivers are most likely to pick up points, you’ll be glad to hear that Greater Manchester wasn’t even in the top 25 most serial offenders. Cheshire was the closest in 19th place, with around 8.22% of drivers in the region currently holding possessing points on their licence.

Do any of these revelations come as a surprise to you or are you simply so good impeccable driver that you assume everyone is just as suspect as each other?

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — Samuele Errico Piccarini (via Unsplash)

Travel & Tourism

A popular staycation company is recruiting for a hot tub holiday tester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Hoseasons is recruiting a hot tub holiday tester. Credit: The Manc Group

The UK’s leading self-catering holiday brand is currently on the look-out for someone to test its hot tub holidays.

Look, it’s a hard job, but someone’s got to do it…

Hoseasons, which operates more than 29,000 places to stay in coastal and countryside settings throughout Britain, is now on the hunt for a Chief Relaxation Officer.

The new ‘CRO’ will be responsible for testing out some of the many Hoseasons hot tub holidays on offer around the UK.

The successful candidate will be tasked with going on five two-night hot tub breaks, with a plus one, and with all travel and food expenses covered.

And in return, they’ll just need to document their local holiday with ‘inspiring and engaging’ content that can be shared on the Hoseasons social media channels.

So no, it’s not a salaried role, but you will get to sample some of the best hot tub breaks around the UK, with a friend, in exchange for showing off your trip.

Hoseasons says you’ll ‘need to be serious about creating great content, passionate about UK holidays and – most importantly – love hot tub breaks!’

Hoseasons is recruiting a hot tub holiday tester. Credit: The Manc Group
Hoseasons is recruiting a hot tub holiday tester. Credit: The Manc Group
Hoseasons is recruiting a hot tub holiday tester. Credit: The Manc Group

Gemma Brown, general manager at Hoseasons, said: “Hoseasons has long been at the forefront of providing unforgettable hot tub experiences, and we’re now taking that legacy a step further by offering one lucky winner the chance to enjoy the ultimate series of hot tub getaways.

“As our Chief Relaxation Officer, they’ll explore some of the UK’s finest hot tub breaks, gaining insight into why we’re considered the leaders in crafting moments of true relaxation.

“With guests’ preferences evolving and the demand for indulgent getaways rising, we’re redefining what it means to unwind in style.”

Hoseasons says it’s seen a five percent increase in total bookings year-on-year in January.

The Chief Relaxation Officer will receive:

  • Five 2-night hot tub breaks at stunning Hoseasons locations
  • Travel expenses covered (up to £300)
  • Food expenses covered (up to £200)
  • An exclusive CRO title

To apply, you can submit an entry form and short video HERE.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Travel & Tourism

Manchester has been named one of the UK’s top car theft ‘hotspots’

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Car theft

Manchester has unfortunately been named one of the UK’s top car theft ‘hotspots’, according to a new analysis.

In recent months, Greater Manchester has been earning itself some rather impressive new titles, with wins across areas such as property prices, arts and culture, and so much more… but when you win some, it seems like you also lose some.

That’s because a data analysis of car theft statistics across the UK in 2024 has sadly seen Manchester named in the top 10 ‘hotspots’.

Although motor thefts were found to have decreased by 6% in the previous year, there was still a whopping 61,343 cars reported stolen to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in 2024, which marked the third-highest annual total in the past decade.

The number of car thefts in 2024 was actually more than twice the number recorded in 2015.

Manchester has been named one of the UK’s top car theft ‘hotspots’ / Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Analysis of the data from This is Money and MailOnline, as shared by the RAC, highlighted that East London was the worst affected area in the UK, but Manchester wasn’t too far behind.

Manchester took the third spot on the top 10 list, with a total of 912 cars reported stolen in 2024 alone, while some of the other northern cities on the ranking include Leeds and Sheffield.

It comes as no surprise, however, that at the top of the list is the capital of London, with a shockingly-high 8,145 cars stolen last year.

Top 10 UK car theft ‘hotspots’ 2024

  1. London – 8,145
  2. Birmingham – 3,220
  3. Manchester – 912
  4. Leeds – 901
  5. Sheffield – 899
  6. Coventry – 862
  7. Wolverhampton – 616
  8. Leicester – 533
  9. Walsall – 521
  10. Bristol – 506

According to the analysis, there are several ways that criminals are choosing to steal cars nationwide, with one of the most popular being key cloning, where a thief creates a copy of a car’s key fob or key to gain access to the vehicle.

This technique is particularly common with modern cars that use keyless entry and push-to-start systems, which communicate with the car through radio signals.

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Two other common car theft techniques include relay attacks, and key signal blocking.

Featured Image – rawpixel

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