What a Traffic Commissioner Can and Cannot Do About Licence Points

A traffic commissioner cannot remove points from your driving licence. Traffic commissioners are judicial officers who hold public inquiries into bus and coach operators, and they have no power over your personal driving record. Points on your licence are added by the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) after you are convicted of a traffic offence in court, and only the DVLA or a court can remove them.

The confusion often arises because traffic commissioners do hold hearings about driving matters — but those hearings are about whether a bus or coach company should keep its operating licence, not about individual drivers' penalty points. If you have been convicted of a traffic offence and received points, the only ways to have them removed are through the court system itself, waiting for them to expire naturally, or in rare cases, asking the DVLA to review them if there are grounds to do so.

Key Takeaways

  • Traffic commissioners have no authority to remove, reduce, or endorse points on your driving licence.
  • Points are recorded by the DVLA after a court conviction and can only be removed by a court order or after four years have passed.
  • If you believe your conviction was unsafe or wrongly recorded, you can appeal to the court that convicted you, not to a traffic commissioner.
  • The DVLA may review your record if you can show the conviction itself was quashed or if there was an administrative error in how the points were recorded.

Who Actually Controls Your Driving Licence Points

The DVLA maintains your driving record and records all penalty points. When you are convicted of a traffic offence in a magistrates' court or crown court, the court sends the conviction details to the DVLA, and the DVLA adds the points to your licence. The DVLA does not decide how many points you receive — that is the court's decision — but the DVLA is responsible for recording them accurately and removing them when the time comes.

Points remain on your licence for four years from the date of the offence, not from the date of conviction. After four years, the DVLA removes them automatically. You do not need to do anything; the removal happens in the background. If you check your licence online through the DVLA portal, you will see the points disappear once that four-year window closes.

When a Court Can Remove Points or Quash a Conviction

A court is the only body that can remove points before the four-year period ends. This happens only in specific circumstances: if your conviction is quashed on appeal, if the court made an error in sentencing, or if you successfully argue that the conviction was unsafe. These are serious legal challenges and usually require a solicitor or barrister to represent you.

If you believe you were wrongly convicted, you can appeal to the Crown Court (if you were convicted in a magistrates' court) or to the Court of Appeal (if you were convicted in the Crown Court). The court will review the evidence and the legal process. If the court agrees the conviction was unsafe, it will quash it entirely, and the DVLA will be notified to remove all associated points.

This is different from asking for leniency or a reduction in points. Courts do not reduce points as a favour; they only remove them if the conviction itself is overturned.

What Traffic Commissioners Actually Do

Traffic commissioners are appointed by the Secretary of State for Transport and hold public inquiries into the conduct of bus and coach operators. They decide whether operators should be granted, renewed, or revoked operating licences. They also hear cases about breaches of operating conditions and can impose penalties on companies.

Their role is entirely separate from individual driving licences. Even if a traffic commissioner is investigating a bus company and that investigation involves a driver employed by that company, the commissioner has no power to alter that driver's personal licence record. The driver's points remain under the control of the DVLA and the courts.

If You Received Points in Error

If you believe the DVLA has recorded points on your licence incorrectly — for example, if points were added for an offence you were not convicted of, or if duplicate points were recorded — you can contact the DVLA directly to ask them to review the record.

Write to the DVLA with evidence of the error. This might be a copy of your court papers showing you were acquitted, a letter from the court confirming the conviction was quashed, or documentation showing the offence date was different from what the DVLA has recorded. The DVLA will investigate and correct the record if they find an error. This process can take several weeks.

You can also ask the court that convicted you to confirm the details it sent to the DVLA. If the court made an error in reporting the offence, it can send a correction to the DVLA.

Appealing a Traffic Offence Conviction

If you want to challenge the conviction itself — not just the points, but whether you should have been convicted at all — you must appeal through the court system. The process and timeline depend on which court convicted you.

If you were convicted in a magistrates' court, you can appeal to the Crown Court within 21 days of conviction. You do not need to show grounds; you can have a full rehearing of the case. If you were convicted in the Crown Court, you can appeal to the Court of Appeal, but you must show grounds — usually that the conviction was unsafe or that the judge misdirected the jury.

Both routes require legal representation in most cases. You can contact your local law centre or a solicitor's office to discuss whether you have grounds to appeal and what it might cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a traffic commissioner reduce my points instead of removing them?

No. Traffic commissioners have no power over driving licence points at all. Only a court can alter points, and only by quashing the conviction entirely — they cannot reduce the number of points.

What if the traffic commissioner is investigating my employer — will that affect my licence?

No. A traffic commissioner's investigation into a bus or coach company is separate from your personal driving record. Even if you work for the company being investigated, your licence points are not affected by the outcome of that inquiry.

How do I know if points were recorded correctly on my licence?

Check your driving licence online through the DVLA's portal using your driving licence number and National Insurance number. The record will show all current points, the offence date, and the date they will be removed. If something looks wrong, contact the DVLA with evidence of the error.

Can I ask the court to remove points after I have been convicted?

Not as a routine request. Points are part of the sentence, and courts do not typically reduce or remove them after conviction. Your only option is to appeal the conviction itself if you believe it was unsafe or wrongly decided.

How long does it take for points to disappear from my licence?

Points remain on your licence for four years from the date of the offence. After four years, the DVLA removes them automatically. You will see them disappear when you next check your licence record online.