Psychiatrist, 67, faces road ban if he speeds at 22mph again after breaking 'unjust and unnecessary' limit

Published: 11:18, 12 April 2026 | Updated: 11:18, 12 April 2026 A psychiatrist has racked up nine points on his driving licence for driving at just 22mph in London. Dr Gary Duffield, from north London, will be banned from driving if he is hit with one more speeding ticket, it was reported. The 67-year-old consultant forensic psychiatrist was caught driving at 22mph in a 20mph zone last year - he was hit with a fine and attended a speed awareness course. After running up three further prosecutions - for travelling at 22mph twice and 25mph on roads with the same speed limit - Dr Duffield stands to lose his licence for six months if caught speeding again. Two of those instances were in Hackney and one was in Camden - over half of London's roads now have a 20mph limit as part of Sir Sadiq Khan's bid to reduce road casualties. Transport for London (TfL) said cars hitting pedestrians at 30mph were five times more likely to kill than at 20mph. This week the Mail reported 20mph zones across Britain were being blamed for a surge in the number of drivers receiving points on their licences to nearly a million. Last year's total was almost a third higher than the 678,000 motorists hit with speeding points in 2022. Over half of London's roads are now subject to the 20mph limit as part of what has been labelled a 'war on drivers' Dr Duffield said he was 'no boy racer' and said the penalty for 'minor infringements' was 'disproportionate'. He said a lack of cruise control in his Toyota Prius meant he sometimes crept above the limit while watching the road. 'I try to stick to the limit but there is a limit to how frequently you can check your speedometer,' he said. 'My point is: there is no flexibility in what punishment they hand out.' Dr Duffield complained he saw Lime bikes 'whizzing' past him and breaching the limit while trying to control his own speed. As a doctor, he said he needed his car and having his licence taken away would cause him problems. Research from Insight Warehouse found an estimated 19.1million Britons now live in neighbourhoods with a 20mph limit. Such zones are particularly common in Wales, where over 90% of urban roads are subject to the limit - the Welsh Labour government scrapped its blanket 20mph rule in 2024, just a year after it was introduced, following public opposition. Campaigners have labelled the zones 'unjust and unnecessary', while the limits have also been branded part of Labour's 'war on motorists'. Last month London's mayor was reportedly considering a raft of measures including more 20mph zones, a new charge on so-called 'Chelsea tractors' and using AI to catch rulebreakers on the road. A Department for Transport spokesman reportedly said: 'Local authorities are responsible for setting speed limits in their areas, and our guidance is clear that 20mph limits should only be used where they are appropriate and supported by evidence. 'We've been clear that speed cameras are for safety, not raising cash.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.