What Car Q&A - Am I facing a driving ban?

I've got nine points on my licence for speeding offences and have just been caught by a camera again. If I delay court proceedings until some points drop off my licence, can I avoid a totting up ban?
Name and address supplied

A: Bad news - the totting up count is done from the date of your offences, not the date when new points are added, so trying to delay proceedings isn't going to help.

If you had nine points when you sped past that camera and got another three to make 12, you're looking at a ban.

A totting-up ban is for a minimum of six months, even if it's for four less severe offences, and even if other motorists receive shorter bans for more reckless individual offences.

There's an outside chance that you may be able to plead your case in court and ask for leniency, but you'll have to demonstrate that having your licence taken away would be an exceptionally harsh punishment.

This is likely to be more than just saying you'll lose your job, so the best course of action in this case is to get a lawyer to advise and represent you.