There are quite a few drivers on the road that have the new style photocard and counterpart license. I couldn’t find an exact stat on this, but they’ve been around for ten years now so probably there are a significant number of us using this new type of driving license. Not to worry, except for the fact that if you don’t renew it you are at risk of a £1,000 fine.
Renew you say? What’s all that about then? Aren’t licenses valid until you’re seventy? Well, a decade ago, when the new license type was brought in, it was decided that in much the same way that your passport expires, your photocard driving license should do the same. This means that the photocard part expires after ten years.
Unfortunately, this isn’t something that is widely publicised and I certainly don’t recall being told this by the person who gave me a debrief when I passed my test. Yet here I am, expecting to have to fork out in order to have my license renewed – fairly soon.
If you’re like me, then you are in the majority by not realising that this process has to happen. Fairly to renew at a cost of £17.50 per time opens you up to a charge of “failure to present a correct driving license” if required to do so by law. Resultantly, the fine is £1,000.
Scarily, the DVLA released the following information: more than 16,000 licenses expired this summer, but only 11,566 drivers have renewed. Apparently, to correct this potentially massive problem, the DVLA has taken to writing to people.
Some other pointers for you:
* Keep an eye on your tyre tread if you want to stay on the correct side of the law, especially when you buy a new car and you have no idea how quickly they will wear
* Remember, you must be legally covered by insurance. Not disclosing any violations (such as penalty points) to your insurer might well invalidate your insurance
* Watch your road tax – remember, if you move addresses you might not end up getting that reminder you rely on
* Don’t forget to make sure your car is properly maintained with regular service intervals and of course a road-necessary MOT. The last thing you want is to have a non-roadworthy vehicle that is a danger to yourself and others
* If you are a learner driver, you must legally have red ‘L’ plates on your car
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