Smethwick is top of list for banned drivers
Hotspot towns with the most banned drivers in Britain were today revealed – and Smethwick tops the list.
Latest figures show banned motorists made up 0.77 per cent of licence holders in the area in 2012, with 160 of the 20,194 drivers in the town disqualified.
West Bromwich came a close second with 191 of the 26,101 motorists in the town banned from driving – roughly 0.73 per cent.
The unwanted runner-up position was however tied with with Barking in east London, where 164 out of 22,591, also 0.73 per cent, were disqualified, said the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Tipton was the only other West Midlands town to feature in the top 10, with 131 of 20,736 drivers disqualified – 0.63 per cent.
The figures were compiled by motoring magazine Auto Express, which limited the data to towns or cities with at least 20,000 drivers, as ruled by the DVLA.
Critics said there were a lot of factors which could influence the number of disqualifications including the number of speed cameras, the extent of police action and motorists' own recklessness.
Smethwick Councillor Vic Silvester said he could see no particular reason for the town to feature so high on the lost, besides a possible link with deprivation.
Harpenden in Hertfordshire had the most law-abiding drivers.
