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

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Dragon

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Thousands of motorists are at risk of being fined up to £1,000 because they are unwittingly driving without a valid licence.

They risk prosecution after failing to spot the extremely small print on their photocard licence which says it automatically expires after 10 years and has to be renewed - even though drivers are licensed to drive until the age of 70.
The fiasco has come to light a decade after the first batch of photo licences was issued in July 1998, just as they start to expire.

To rub salt into wounds, drivers will have to pay £17.50 to renew their card - a charge which critics have condemned as a 'stealth tax' and which will earn the Treasury an estimated £437million over 25 years.
Official DVLA figures reveal that while 16,136 expired this summer, so far only 11,566 drivers have renewed, leaving 4,570 outstanding.

article-1054636-029EC1D600000578-710_470x209_popup.jpg


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...usands-photocard-driving-licences-expire.html

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23554130-details/Drivers+risk+1%2C000+fines+for+licences+that+expire/article.do

The same text so the same owner.
 
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What about the PAPER driving licence (counterpart), which comes with the photocard and doesn't expire every 10 years?
 
Won't be long until they feature which car you drive to determine the licence. I wonder if that would mean making it more expensive? errrrrr...... ooooh, tricky one :mad: :rolleyes:
 
What about the PAPER driving licence (counterpart), which comes with the photocard and doesn't expire every 10 years?

Phewww, 2 more years on mine. I guess the card expires because your photo is on it. Fortunately I haven't aged one bit ;)
 
Anything with a photo on must "expire". Of course it came to light a decade after first issued, it's when people, who hadn't read their docs failed to renew!
No difference to passports.

And £17.50 over 10yrs is not really an issue. Forget the £437mil, you won't have to pay it......
 
I didn't know that, I changed my address in March 07 and got a new card which expires in November 09...

Do they issue a reminder?


Ade
 
What about the PAPER driving licence (counterpart), which comes with the photocard and doesn't expire every 10 years?

I think the paper part is ok just the photocard with the picture on it that has to be renewed.
 
Agreed things expire but how does that merit such a fine?

Talk about the crime fitting the punishment
 
Mine lasts till 2013.. the picture on my license is a school photo!! I'm wearing a school uniform. I got my license when I was 15 so that it was ready when I wanted to do my CBT at 16..
 
To rub salt into wounds, drivers will have to pay £17.50 to renew their card - a charge which critics have condemned as a 'stealth tax' and which will earn the Treasury an estimated £437million over 25 years.

How will this net the treasury any funds.? It will cost all of £17.50 to issue the new card by the time processing and Admin has been accounted for.
 
I think the paper part is ok just the photocard with the picture on it that has to be renewed.

My point is that you *do* still have a valid (paper) driving licence if the photocard expires. So what offence have you committed :confused:
 
From the DVLA website

"
Renewing your photo

With a renewal application
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) will send you a renewal application pack two months before your photo is due to expire. You’ll need to:
  • complete the enclosed form
  • include a new passport type photo of yourself that’s been taken within the last month (you don’t need the back of the photo signed)
  • return both parts of your driving licence photocard and counterpart document
  • enclose a cheque or postal order for £17.50 (no fee is needed if you have a medical short period licence or you’re aged 70 or over
  • send your completed application and fee to DVLA, Swansea SA99 1DH"
Seems you get 2 months notice to renew the photo.

You need both parts to be valid. The paper part is not valid without the photo part.
 
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From the DVLA website

"
Renewing your photo

With a renewal application
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) will send you a renewal application pack two months before your photo is due to expire. You’ll need to:
  • complete the enclosed form
  • include a new passport type photo of yourself that’s been taken within the last month (you don’t need the back of the photo signed)
  • return both parts of your driving licence photocard and counterpart document
  • enclose a cheque or postal order for £17.50 (no fee is needed if you have a medical short period licence or you’re aged 70 or over
  • send your completed application and fee to DVLA, Swansea SA99 1DH"
Seems you get 2 months notice to renew the photo....

Oh boy is this an invitaion to fraud and ID theft!!!:eek:
 
Just the same as Passport photos, as long as you are still recognisable from the old photo, no sig required.
 
What about the PAPER driving licence (counterpart), which comes with the photocard and doesn't expire every 10 years?

I *think* that it's only that, a 'counterpart'. Ie, if you're requested to present your license, both parts are required - hence your license wouldn't be valid without a valid photocard.


Strange how the DVLA want £17.50 for re-issuing an already valid photocard (albeit with a new photo, to be fair), when if you change address (which I guess you could do as many times as you wish) you're issued new replacement photocards and counterpart licenses FOC.

Some people probably move several times in 10 years, and must cost the DVLA a good few quid, yet someone who hasn't made any changes to their details will pay £17.50...

Will
 
Thousands of motorists are at risk of being fined up to £1,000 because they are unwittingly driving without a valid licence.

no, they get reminded so they just have to read their post in the morning, as per post #13,

To rub salt into wounds, drivers will have to pay £17.50 to renew their card - a charge which critics have condemned as a 'stealth tax' and which will earn the Treasury an estimated £437million over 25 years.

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, this ties in with post #10

so basically our good friend Dragon has read his little paper again, seen something with a motoring link, got all excited about the `news` and posted it without really thinking about what he just read,

lets examine the word news here,

look again at the drivers license, valid from 07, so lets assume its a young journo, wet behind the ears and who still thinks the world is a bright vibrant happy place, the Daily Wail wont take long to beat that out of his system with their broken Britain attitude, he probably learnt to use the big boy potty that morning so he sat in his sand pit, looked up when the photocard licenses were first issued, realised they had a shelf life, put 2 and 2 together and got the square root of FA, then ran an exciting story about how the big bad government are out to get the motorist without really knowing a lot (see above points on how some of us on here have methodically taken his story to bits,), unfortunately he missed his Telly Tubbies that morning and left a big bit of evidence that just wants to make me ignore his work;

1. I assume he is young, if that is his/her driving license and they passed as soon as possible,
2. They work for the Daily Mail,

So thankyou Dragon and thankyou Daily Mail, thumbs up,
 
Just going back to P**istan to see my family for a few years:devil: :D

Will reapply on my return when my cousin goes home

I can forge my cousin's signature.... :rolleyes: :eek: :D
 
Yep we get reminders, comes back pretty quick too but VERY peed at the cost! I was one of the 1st to have a photo-card and were told at the time it would be free to update, also told in March when paying to change name & address & get new paper part (got recycled!) that it would be free or 'cover postage' only to get a letter in June saying £17.50!!!

Kate
 

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