Totting-up: 12 points and driving bans
“Totting-up” is the rule that disqualifies drivers who reach 12 or more penalty points within a three-year period. The standard ban is a minimum of six months.
How the ban length works
- 6 months for a first totting-up ban.
- 12 months if you've had another disqualification in the previous three years.
- 2 years if you've had two or more.
Exceptional hardship
You can ask the court not to disqualify you by arguing exceptional hardship — for example, that losing your licence would cost other people their jobs. Simply needing to drive for work is usually not enough; the bar is deliberately high, and the same argument can't normally be reused within three years.
When do points expire?
Speeding points stay on your licence for four years from the offence date, but they only count toward totting-up for the first three. The three-year window is measured between offence dates, not conviction dates.
Watch the running total
Because each new offence is judged against points already live, it's easy to misjudge how close you are. Use the calculator to add your existing points and see whether a new offence would tip you into totting-up territory or, for newer drivers, the 6-point revocation.
Add your current points and check your totting-up risk.
Open the speeding fine calculator →