Licence Warning Issued to Drivers

The DVLA has issued a harsh warning to all drivers in the UK to ensure that their driving licences are kept up to date and renewed as and when is needed.

The standard-issue photo-card licence, which has been common practice for over 15 years now, is currently in possession by over 30 million drivers across the UK. However a startling 2 million of these have failed to renew their photo at the same time as renewing their licence, if even renewing their licence at all!

Failing to maintain the information on your licence can prove costly; if you do not notify the DVLA of a change of address, for example, you are liable for fines of up to £1000. The same goes for not updating the image of yourself on your licence. Most licences are valid for 10 years, and as Victoria Ford from the DVLA states:

“Appearances can change and it is important that photo-card licences are updated every 10 years to ensure the police and other enforcement agencies have the best possible photograph to help them correctly identify whether a driving licence is being used fraudulently… This helps prevent driving licence impersonation – stopping disqualified and perhaps dangerous drivers taking to our roads.”

LV Car Insurance has produced research that shows that 1 in 10 drivers admit to going longer than the required decade to renew their licence- despite numerous official reminders- and almost twice this amount are unaware that their licence even expires at all; leaving them vulnerable to hefty fines imposed by the DVLA- despite their licence expiry date being clearly printed on the front of their pink driving licence!

Paul Watters from the AA advises everyone to check their details and ensure everything is up to date; if one detail is incorrect in registering your vehicle, for example your address not being updated since moving house, or having a fully insured car, however one that is not on the Motor Insurance Database, you could become subject to fines of anywhere from £100 to £1,000.

Most drivers aren’t aware that it is free to renew your licence in the case of a change of address, and only £20 to renew a licence that has expired. Save yourself some money; check all of your details!

Safe driving from Britannia!