Driving licence trap: 1.6m drivers risk £1,000 fine for not renewing photograph that costs just £20

[5corpio]

Over 1.6million drivers could be at risk of a £1,000 fine because the photograph on their driving licence has expired, a Freedom of Information request has revealed. Sainsbury’s car insurance discovered that many motorists are at risk of a hefty fine because they may not be aware that a photograph on their driving licence needs to be updated every ten years at a cost of £20, as set out by the DVLA. Those with old-style paper licences are not affected. As well as 1.6million drivers’ photographs that have expired, a further 2.9million must be renewed by the end of 2012 - and over the next five years, almost 13million drivers must renew their photograph to abide by the law.

According to Sainsbury's statistics, 41 per cent of drivers are not fully aware of the consequences of having an expired photograph on their licence. Failure to update your photograph carries a £1,000 fine and can be enforced by the police under Section 99 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. There is no impact on your car insurance as long as the driver has not been disqualified or told not to drive by the DVLA (due to a medical issue, for example)....Read more here--: Driving licence trap: 1.6m drivers risk hefty fine for not renewing photograph at £20 cost | This is Money

[Deepie]

Re: Driving licence trap: 1.6m drivers risk £1,000 fine for not renewing photograph that costs just

Mine expires this year .....I only found out a few years ago that they only last 10 years...........

[garlok]

Re: Driving licence trap: 1.6m drivers risk £1,000 fine for not renewing photograph that costs just

Yep we both had the paper licences "for life" and then we moved house. Had to chnge adress and fell into this new licence thing. I had assumed that they were for life when someone I knew got pulled, fined and points for his licence being out of date about five years ago now. I looked at mine and Mrs G's and realised they were for ten years only. We have to renew ours in April this year.

Bit of a shock actually.

regards
Garlok

[5corpio]

Re: Driving licence trap: 1.6m drivers risk £1,000 fine for not renewing photograph that costs just

glad that its a reminder

I never knew, just checked mine, expires in 5 years - No!!! 3 years lol

[mystery1]

Re: Driving licence trap: 1.6m drivers risk £1,000 fine for not renewing photograph that costs just

Valid until 2044

M1

[PriorityOne]

Re: Driving licence trap: 1.6m drivers risk £1,000 fine for not renewing photograph that costs just

I still have a paper licence.... !!

[Deepie]

Re: Driving licence trap: 1.6m drivers risk £1,000 fine for not renewing photograph that costs just

I still have a paper licence.... !!

Keep hold of it............

[Handyman]

Re: Driving licence trap: 1.6m drivers risk £1,000 fine for not renewing photograph that costs just

Yet another rip off by another QUANGO.

Now I have been told and I have no reason to doubt it unless someone tells me different, but if you hold an HGV licence that also has to be renewed separately so does things like the digital tachograph card. Each one is costed at £20.00

This is according to my son in law who is a driver who tells me because all his are due this year the cost to him will be £60.00
Surely this can't be right. At one time all the groups you were entitled to drive were all on one licence.

Regards all, Handy

[oscar]

Re: Driving licence trap: 1.6m drivers risk £1,000 fine for not renewing photograph that costs just

I still have a paper licence.... !!

As do I - but if you need to change anything, such as name (unlikely as I am a bloke) or address, then you are "required" to update to a photo licence.

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Driving licence trap: 1.6m drivers risk £1,000 fine for not renewing photograph that costs just

Yet another rip off by another QUANGO.

Now I have been told and I have no reason to doubt it unless someone tells me different, but if you hold an HGV licence that also has to be renewed separately so does things like the digital tachograph card. Each one is costed at £20.00

This is according to my son in law who is a driver who tells me because all his are due this year the cost to him will be £60.00
Surely this can't be right. At one time all the groups you were entitled to drive were all on one licence.

Regards all, Handy

Handy,

Yes that is correct I was an LGV driver before I retired on medical grounds and had both LGV licence and digital taco card the photo's on them are for the same period 10 yrs.

[garlok]

Re: Driving licence trap: 1.6m drivers risk £1,000 fine for not renewing photograph that costs just

I can remember when the HGV licence was first introduced. it was always a totally separate licenc and looked remarkably like a small passport and you required a medical as well. Can't quite remember (1971 or '72) if it was annual or three years then, I think three years.

regards
Garlok

[Deepie]

Driving Licence have you renewed yours ?

Driving licence fines threaten two million drivers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20968886

[Riz]

Re: Driving Licence have you renewed yours ?

This was all flagged up in the media a year or 2 ago as well. I checked then and I have until 2016.

[ken100464]

Re: Driving Licence have you renewed yours ?

Did mine last year.

Besides the fee which seems a bit rich and a way of making money was easy to do.

Even easier if you have had a new passport in the last 5 years. They will use that photo and details of the passport in an example of real joined up government if you do it all online.

Took me all of 5 mins to get logged on, applied for and paid for.

License arrived not many days later so was actually a reasonable experience.

[Pixie]

Re: Driving Licence have you renewed yours ?

I must admit that I didn't realise when my licence was due to run out until I got the renewal form from DVLA