FEAR of prosecution, fines, jail and being banned from driving are vital weapons in the battle to minimise death and injury on our roads.

Prison aside, the prospect of not being able to get behind the wheel has to be the strongest deterrent of all.

The law lays down that anyone who has accumulated 12 current points on their licence will face an automatic temporary driving ban.

But then to avoid too much rigidity, it goes on to give discretion to courts not to impose a ban if it will result in “exceptional hardship”.

The trouble is, those two words clearly mean very different things to different judges and magistrates.

There can be no other explanation for the fact that there are 165 motorists in East Lancashire still driving with 12 or more points – and one with an astonishing 30 points.

Some legal representatives are clearly very adept at painting pictures of the hardship their clients would suffer if forced to use taxis or public transport.

But such a large number of let-offs shows that there is a need for laid-down penalties to be imposed in a much tougher manner.