“Totting Up” and Exceptional Hardship

If you are charged with a driving offence, you need to consider the number of penalty points already on your driving licence. If you accumulate 12 or more penalty points on your driving licence within any 3-year period, offence date to offence date, you fall to be disqualified from driving for at least 6 months. This is known as the ‘totting-up’ procedure.

However, if disqualified through the totting-up procedure, your driving licence will be wiped clean of all penalty points previously obtained.

The totting-up procedure can escalate a relatively minor driving offence for which you would receive 3 penalty points on your licence to being disqualified from driving for 6 months or more.

You will be disqualified through the totting-up procedure unless you have mitigating circumstances and disqualification would cause ‘exceptional hardship’ to you or your dependants.

If you have been accused of or are being investigated for a driving offence and would like to discuss your situation and the potential totting-up implications, please contact our legal experts to arrange a reduced fee initial meeting.