FROM PENALTY POINTS TO PRISON: Taxi drivers warned of devastating consequences of NIP farming
- Perry Richardson
- 49 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Taxi drivers are being warned about the growing threat of “NIP farming”, an illegal practice where motorists are encouraged to falsely nominate another person as the driver of a vehicle to avoid penalty points.
The warning comes from LTDA General Secretary Steve McNamara, who used the latest edition of the Taxi Newspaper to highlight the risks facing professional drivers who depend on their licences for a living. McNamara said that alongside the everyday hazards of parking enforcement, speed cameras and traffic offences, drivers also need to be alert to offers that appear to provide an easy way out of prosecution.
He wrote: “Unfortunately, while driving a cab nowadays you have to be extremely careful every minute of every working shift not to fall foul of a parking ticket, speed camera or some other enforcement agent or department trying to report you.”
McNamara added that financial pressures and concern over licence points can leave some drivers vulnerable to scams. He said: “Sometimes, through stress or fear, people will do something stupid or listen to someone on a rank or in a pub who offers to make these worries vanish, for a small fee.”
According to the article, the process known as NIP farming involves “an owner of a vehicle nominates a false or imaginary person as the driver of their vehicle in response to a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) from the police.” Rather than avoiding punishment, McNamara warned that the tactic can lead to far more serious consequences.
He explained that authorities now maintain databases of suspected NIP farming addresses and said offenders often face prosecution for perverting the course of justice. He wrote: “This rarely works as the law now keep databases of NIP farm addresses and often does, result in a prosecution for perverting the course of justice, which almost always carries a prison sentence. It’s definitely not a good alternative to a few points on your licence!”
The article also highlights a separate enforcement trend involving Single Justice Procedure Notices (SJPNs), which are increasingly being used for offences that are not considered suitable for fixed penalties. McNamara pointed to red light camera enforcement at the Euston Road and Upper Woburn Place junction in London, claiming it has become one of the capital’s busiest locations for SJPNs issued to drivers crossing the stop line after traffic lights have turned red.
Describing the administrative process, he said SJPN paperwork can extend to around 20 double-sided pages when evidence is included, but advised drivers not to ignore the correspondence. Instead, he encouraged recipients to complete and return documents by recorded delivery to ensure there is evidence they have responded.
McNamara also questioned the level of enforcement at the junction, arguing that many drivers only move beyond the stop line to help keep traffic flowing when waiting on a filter light. He claimed that cameras record the offence automatically once the line is crossed after the light changes, regardless of the surrounding circumstances.
He concluded by urging drivers to remain vigilant and seek advice before responding to official notices. “If you do get an SJPN, FPO, or anything from the police or Transport for London (TfL) that you are not sure of, then take no chances. Call us here at the LTDA, it’s what we are here for and what we do.”
