Ukrainian winger for Chelsea, Mykhailo Mudryk, has lost his driving license in the United Kingdom due to a series of traffic violations. Lawyer Andriy Shevchenko explains how the penalty points system works in Britain and what punishment the footballer would face in Ukraine.
24-year-old Chelsea footballer Mykhailo Mudryk has been banned from driving for 6 months after accumulating 13 penalty points over 18 months. This happened against the backdrop of his actual suspension from football, which has been in effect since December 2024 due to a positive doping test.
The latest incident was speeding: on January 24, 2025, on South Circular in Wandsworth, his BMW M8 was recorded at a speed of 36 mph in a zone where the limit is 20 mph (which translates to 58 km/h in a 32 km/h zone). The car had personalized license plates with the player’s initials and his playing number "10."
Mudryk did not stop immediately after being signaled by the police.
“Initially, the driver did not stop at the scene, and I continued to follow him in my car. After repeated signals to stop, the driver finally pulled over on Strath Terrace,” stated special constable Andrew Kinsella of the London police, as quoted by Standard.
The court at Lavender Hill found the footballer guilty, added five more points to the already existing ones, and automatically issued a driving ban. Additionally, Mudryk must pay over £1000:
Interestingly, the footballer did not appear at the hearing—his interests were represented by a lawyer.
In Britain, for each traffic violation, a driver is assigned between 3 to 11 points. They are retained in the system for 4 years (for penalties related to alcohol and drugs, 11 years).
The key rule: if within three years a driver accumulates 12 or more points, the so-called "totting-up disqualification" occurs—automatic loss of driving rights. The duration of the ban depends on the history of violations:
Serious violations:
Thus, Mudryk’s situation is a classic example where a series of minor violations led to severe punishment.
In Ukraine, the penalty points system is not yet in place. Legislative attempts to implement it have been made, but as of 2025, no final decision has been made.
Current rules today
For speeding, the following sanctions apply:
Additionally, there is the so-called "tolerance +20": exceeding up to 20 km/h is not fined.
In Mudryk’s case, who was driving 26 km/h over the limit, the fine would have been only 340 UAH. There is no license suspension or penalty points system in place today. Other violations by the Ukrainian national team player are unknown, but are most likely also related to speeding.
What the legislative proposals suggested
Back in 2015, the Verkhovna Rada passed a law on penalty points, but it never became effective.
Bill No. 6502 (2022): proposed a system from 1 to 5 points for various violations that would expire after a year.
If a driver accumulated 12 or more points within a year, their license would be suspended, and they would need to retake the exam.
New concept (2024-2025): abandons "points," but foresees gradual penalties for repeated violations:
If Mudryk were to speed similar to the British context (36 mph ≈ 58 km/h in a 20 mph ≈ 32 km/h zone), then he would:
Thus, for repeated violations—like in Mudryk’s case—a Ukrainian driver would risk losing their license, but only if the new law is adopted.