driving licence warning

Many drivers face a fine of £1,000 if they fail to update their photo-card driving licences, according to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
It started issuing photo-card licences 15 years ago and more than 30 million drivers now have one.
These are usually valid for 10 years and there is a legal requirement for drivers to renew the photograph at the same time as they renew their licence.

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


Saw this on the news today and couldn't believe some of the comments such as

It would be better to have more of a positive reminder. Why go in with threats of fines first? I have a paper licence. Do I have to get a new licence? If so I would prefer to be informed of that in a civil way rather than threatened. I have no problem with renewing if required but some civility would be nice.

and this one

I still have the old paper-based driving licence. It is getting a bit tatty round the edges but still which works perfectly well. It clearly states on the licence that it is valid till 202* when I reach the age of 70. I don't wish to get a new photcard licence in 2015 and, provided I stay at my present address, I see absolutely no need to get one.

For gods sake it's no biggie and having an up to date licence is a condition of being able to drive ,as was pointed out in another comment driving is a privilege not a right

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by martyh

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


Saw this on the news today and couldn't believe some of the comments such as



and this one



For gods sake it's no biggie and having an up to date licence is a condition of being able to drive ,as was pointed out in another comment driving is a privilege not a right

its just more of the same big brother mentality -we the people own the roads not the dvla

The renewal date is on the front of the photo licence.

What's the big deal with keeping the photo up to date - we do it with passports.

Originally Posted by papa smurf

its just more of the same big brother mentality -we the people own the roads not the dvla

Nothing to do with big brother mentality .If i get hit by a car i want to be sure that the driver is the driver that is insured for that car ,i certainly don't want to give insurance companies any excuse not to pay out

---------- Post added at 13:09 ---------- Previous post was at 13:06 ----------

Originally Posted by Hugh

The renewal date is on the front of the photo licence.

What's the big deal with keeping the photo up to date - we do it with passports.

Exactly ,it is also useful for id purposes ,a paper licence cannot be used as id anymore

[Traduk]

You may not think it's a biggie but the BBC article does not correlate with the facts issued last year. I suspect the article is somewhat of a lumping of two entirely different problems under one generalised report.

There was extensive reporting last year on the fact that for millions and especially those over 70 on shorter term licenses that the licence expiry and photo expiry dates are different. It is entirely possible and very easy to have a valid licence with an out of date photo and thus be breaking the law.

Last year I was asked to help an older relative to fill out a driving licence renewal form. Was it difficult, of course not unless the exact renewal as sent by the DVLA had been used without using grey cells (which they appear to lack).

The licence expired the day before the photo's 10 year expiry so had the form been used exactly as intended the resultant valid licence would have been lawful for a whole 24 hours before the £1000 fine for an invalid photo would have been appropriate. They use different forms for photo requirement or not.

If anybody thinks that the DVLA helpline will help, forget it because there are no human beings to ask as it is an automated series of mindless computer generated answers.

The following link and as many others as one would care to search for show that this BBC report is an extrapolation and spin on what is in fact a shambolic system.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/c...h-20-cost.html

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by martyh

Nothing to do with big brother mentality .If i get hit by a car i want to be sure that the driver is the driver that is insured for that car ,i certainly don't want to give insurance companies any excuse not to pay out

---------- Post added at 13:09 ---------- Previous post was at 13:06 ----------



Exactly ,it is also useful for id purposes ,a paper licence cannot be used as id anymore

does that count as paranoia

What is paranoia?

It is common to have suspicious thoughts or worries about other people from time to time. These fears are described as paranoid when they are exaggerated and not based in fact. There are three key features of paranoid thoughts:

you fear that something bad will happen
you think that others are responsible
your belief is exaggerated or unfounded.

[MovedGoalPosts]

This is the first I have heard that my paper licence will become invalid before the expiry date stated on it. I assume that if I am to be effectively taxed into having to replace it prematurely (unless of course I choose to move house in the meantime, or suffer the indignity of a driving offence), someone will at least be making a proper attempt to notify me that I must change it.

Originally Posted by papa smurf

does that count as paranoia

What is paranoia?

It is common to have suspicious thoughts or worries about other people from time to time. These fears are described as paranoid when they are exaggerated and not based in fact. There are three key features of paranoid thoughts:

you fear that something bad will happen
you think that others are responsible
your belief is exaggerated or unfounded.

Not paranoid at all . One of the reason photocard licences where introduced was to stop the massive amount of shared licences being used ,driving on someone elses licence and it still happens a lot these days especially amongst the immigrant community and you can bet your bottom dollar that insurance companies will eventually use an out of date photo as an excuse to invalidate the insurance especially when the photo licence becomes compulsory in 2015

[Halcyon]

I have to pay (last timeI checked) £20 for someone to update my photo on the computer and also go out and spend £10 having my passport photo done.
A rip off if you ask me!

Originally Posted by Rob

This is the first I have heard that my paper licence will become invalid before the expiry date stated on it. I assume that if I am to be effectively taxed into having to replace it prematurely (unless of course I choose to move house in the meantime, or suffer the indignity of a driving offence), someone will at least be making a proper attempt to notify me that I must change it.

Photo licences have been in use since 1998 or there abouts so plenty of notice .I'll bet you keep your passport up to date

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by martyh

Not paranoid at all . One of the reason photocard licences where introduced was to stop the massive amount of shared licences being used ,driving on someone elses licence and it still happens a lot these days especially amongst the immigrant community and you can bet your bottom dollar that insurance companies will eventually use an out of date photo as an excuse to invalidate the insurance especially when the photo licence becomes compulsory in 2015

so when you have a prang
do you
photograph the driver of the other vehicle
ask to see their driving licence picture and compare likeness ?
or just swap details
or going forward you could demand fingerprints and a dna sample .
you might be happier on public transport as long as the bus driver agrees to your terms and conditions regarding his entitlement to drive .

Originally Posted by Halcyon

I have to pay (last timeI checked) £20 for someone to update my photo on the computer and also go out and spend £10 having my passport photo done.
A rip off if you ask me!

Rubbish ,take the photo yourself on your camera phone and send to the dvla alternatively if the one on your passport is more up to date then they will use that one .

My photo has been used for my CSCS card ,passport ,digicard (drivers card)and driving licence .the Photo in digital form is held to be used multiple times on multiple databases

---------- Post added at 13:48 ---------- Previous post was at 13:41 ----------

Originally Posted by papa smurf

so when you have a prang
do you
photograph the driver of the other vehicle
ask to see their driving licence picture and compare likeness ?
or just swap details
or going forward you could demand fingerprints and a dna sample .
you might be happier on public transport as long as the bus driver agrees to your terms and conditions regarding his entitlement to drive .

I don't but the coppers do .

It's ok you trying to be clever and bleating on about "big brother" and all that crap but you don't have a right to drive and if you want to drive then pass a test ,get a licence and keep it up to date ,the same as you have to for a fishing licence ,passport ,tv license or any other kind of licence tyou care to think of .

When i sit my class 2 hgv later this year i will be subject to much stricter controls on the photo and my licence and i'm not bleating on about that

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by martyh

Rubbish ,take the photo yourself on your camera phone and send to the dvla alternatively if the one on your passport is more up to date then they will use that one .

My photo has been used for my CSCS card ,passport ,digicard (drivers card)and driving licence .the Photo in digital form is held to be used multiple times on multiple databases

---------- Post added at 13:48 ---------- Previous post was at 13:41 ----------



I don't but the coppers do .

It's ok you trying to be clever and bleating on about "big brother" and all that crap but you don't have a right to drive and if you want to drive then pass a test ,get a licence and keep it up to date ,the same as you have to for a fishing licence ,passport ,tv license or any other kind of licence tyou care to think of .

When i sit my class 2 hgv later this year i will be subject to much stricter controls on the photo and my licence and i'm not bleating on about that

i'm not trying to be "clever" i just don't see why i should give in to your paranoia that every one else on the road is dodgy ,and i clearly don't share your love of identity cards , i know who i am and that suits me ,i don't feel the need to prove it on every document i own . my driving licence hasn't been out of the drawer for 25 years and that's fine by me .

[MovedGoalPosts]

Originally Posted by martyh

Photo licences have been in use since 1998 or there abouts so plenty of notice .I'll bet you keep your passport up to date

Yes I keep my passport up to date because it has a 10 year expiry date.

My paper type driving licence states it is valid until 2034, at which point I know I would then have needed to replace it (if I hadn't moved before, got an endorsement, etc). There has been no notice, that I am aware of until this thread, that the paper style licence was being completely scrapped.

Originally Posted by papa smurf

i'm not trying to be "clever" i just don't see why i should give in to your paranoia that every one else on the road is dodgy ,and i clearly don't share your love of identity cards , i know who i am and that suits me ,i don't feel the need to prove it on every document i own . my driving licence hasn't been out of the drawer for 25 years and that's fine by me .

Now who's being paranoid .

I don't think everyone else on the road is dodgy at all ,i do know that some are and photo cards easily catch them out instead of leaving poor smucks like me or you to pick up the bill .At the end of the day you will have to change it whether you like it or not and as i pointed out before you've had since 1998 so it isn't exactly a big surprise ,and fact that you know who you are is simply not good enough in this day and age of fraud and identity theft