Unwitting motorists face £1,000 fines as thousands of photocard driving licences expi

[kwakdonut]

Official DVLA figures reveal that while 16,136 expired this summer, so far only 11,566 drivers have renewed, leaving 4,570 outstanding.

So out of those 4570 - a percentage may well be deceased/abroad/slipped their mind/lost their reminders/etc, also, some people may have simply given up driving and have not bothered renewing. To be honest, I imagine that only a small proportion are actually deliberately not renewing and using ignorance as their excuse (no excuse of course!).

What's the fine for not renewing £50/£100???? Therefore, some people will just not bother because, as usual, the chances of getting caught are very,very low unfortunately.

Just another way to tax the poor old British motorist

The bit that worries me more is when you get your licence returned and you've suddenly 'lost' a category (generally 'A' - motorcycle) and the DVLA says tough sh*t, you'll have to pass your test again!!!

Scary

 

[W210 Fan]

The bit that worries me more is when you get your licence returned and you've suddenly 'lost' a category (generally 'A' - motorcycle) and the DVLA says tough sh*t, you'll have to pass your test again!!!

Scary

Never send anything without copying it first, hard drives are cheap and scans take up no room, its better than retaking your test

 

[kwakdonut]

Never send anything without copying it first, hard drives are cheap and scans take up no room, its better than retaking your test

Oh totally agree with you - I do this myself (insurance documents for NCB etc). But the DVLA have not accepted this in the past - there was a feature in MotorCycle News about this recently. Will have to trawl through and find it....

Basically, make sure you check your licence thoroughly when you get it back and check you have ALL your categories on there!!!!

Nasty shock if you have to re-take a test you last took 20 years ago...... oof!!

 

[Dieselman]

Never send anything without copying it first, hard drives are cheap and scans take up no room, its better than retaking your test

A scan isn't legal tender unless it can be proven to be from an accepted secure system where there can be no alterations to the original scan.
A photocopy of Facsimile is legal tender as they print with no alterations.

 

[raymont]

A scan isn't legal tender unless it can be proven to be from an accepted secure system where there can be no alterations to the original scan.
A photocopy of Facsimile is legal tender as they print with no alterations.

How do you tell the difference between a print of a scanned document and a photocopy?

 

[Dieselman]

How do you tell the difference between a print of a scanned document and a photocopy?

Technically there is a print quality variation, but a copy wouldn't be accepted unless it's source could be verified. i.e. the copy is produced in front of somone who can verify it legally.
Any media that could allow some manipulation is excluded from being tender.

 

[crockers]

I can forge my cousin's signature....

So can we...........


I thought that they can now electronically transfer the photo from your passport to your drivers license...

 

[st4]

Agreed things expire but how does that merit such a fine?

Talk about the crime fitting the punishment

Because motorists are there for the governments exploitation.

 

[whitenemesis]

So can we...........


I thought that they can now electronically transfer the photo from your passport to your drivers license...

As they now digitise your photo to add it to the passport I'm sure they could.

 

[nick mercedes]

what are we loosing, if it costs £17.50 to administer we will pay for it here as a charge or as a stealth tax elsewhere, the money has to come from somewhere

How about we skip the needless burocrasy and thus don't need to pay the stealth tax?

 

[st4]

How about we skip the needless burocrasy and thus don't need to pay the stealth tax?

And the client state, where would all the votes go. Nice idea, but bad for a government that craves power.

 

[whitenemesis]

£17.50 for a shiny new license, c'mon what more could you ask?

£1.75 per year is nothing. Let's keep it in perspective. Stealth tax? Life just is too short to get so paranoid.

 

[nick mercedes]

£17.50 for a shiny new license, c'mon what more could you ask?

£1.75 per year is nothing. Let's keep it in perspective. Stealth tax? Life just is too short to get so paranoid.

Where people have to pay for something they didn't used to need?

 

[st4]

Where people have to pay for something they didn't used to need?

Aye, the driving test costs good money too, and a few fail it 1st time so it all adds up.

With all these fancy databases why not just licences stored electronically and FOC.

 

[Dieselman]

There is no such thing as FOC and as an opponent to paying tax I would have thought you understood that the phrase FOC simply means more tax.

In reality this is such a non issue it's not worth thinking about or discussing, it's 3 gallons of fuel..

 

[st4]

There is no such thing as FOC and as an opponent to paying tax I would have thought you understood that the phrase FOC simply means more tax.

In reality this is such a non issue it's not worth thinking about or discussing, it's 3 gallons of fuel..

Very true come to think of it, but the comment re 3 gallons of fuel, Its an awful lot. Its 150 miles in a carefully driven W211

 

[Dieselman]

Once every ten years..??

 

[Smiley]

I still have a paper licence but no photo card; how long have I got before I have to get a new photo one?

 

[Dragon]

I still have a paper licence but no photo card; how long have I got before I have to get a new photo one?

If you don't get one now, you will be fined.

 

[pammy]

I still have a paper licence but no photo card; how long have I got before I have to get a new photo one?

If you need to change your lience, eg move house, change name, points removal then it will have to be to a photocard one. If you have no need to change - then you keep the paper one.

If you get one now, you will be fined.