Darren-B Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Unwitting motorists face £1,000 fines as thousands of photocard driving licences expire 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 the they start to expire. Motoring organisations blamed the Government for the fiasco and said 'most' drivers believed their licences were for life. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/09/ ... _popup.jpg ) A mock-up driving licence from 1998 when the photocards were launched shows the imminent expiry date as item '4b' They said officials had failed to publicise sufficiently the fact that new-style licences - unlike the old paper ones - expire after a set period and have to be renewed. To rub salt into wounds, drivers will have to a 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. With another 300,000 photocard licences due to expire over the coming year, experts fear the number of invalid licences will soar, putting thousands more drivers in breach of the law and at risk of a fine. At the heart of the confusion is the small print on the tiny credit-card-size photo licence, which is used in conjunction with the paper version. Just below the driver name on the front of the photocard licence is a series of dates and details - each one numbered. Number 4b features a date in tiny writing, but no explicit explanation as to what it means. The date's significance is only explained if the driver turns over the card and reads the key on the back which states that '4b' means 'licence valid to'. Even more confusingly, an adjacent table on the rear of the card sets out how long the driver is registered to hold a licence - that is until his or her 70th birthday. A total of 25million new-style licences have been issued but - motoring experts say - drivers were never sufficiently warned they would expire after 10 years. Motorists who fail to renew their licences in time are allowed to continue driving. But the DVLA says they could be charged with 'failing to surrender their licence', an offence carrying a £1,000 fine. AA president, Edmund King said: 'It is not generally known that photocard licences expire: there appears to be a lack of information that people will have to renew these licences. People think they have already paid them for once over and that is it. It will come as a surprise to motorists and a shock that they have to pay an extra £17.50.' Today the DVLA said the date of expiry was carried on the new-style licences, even though the AA says this is 'not clear'. The Agency was unable to say whether motorists were told the licences would expire when they were first issued. It said it was issuing postal reminders to drivers whose photograph was due to expire, to get the renewal message across. But a spokesman admitted this was the limit of the DVLA's publicity. Experts say many drivers will slip through the net because DVLA ecords are inaccurate and many motorists have changed address, making it impossible to trace them. A DVLA spokesman said: 'Previous experience has shown that wide-scale publicity is less effective and can generate enquiries and concerns from those not affected. Instead, DVLA focussed on targeted publicity to ensure that we got the message to the right person at the right time.' The Driving Standards Agency is allowing L-test candidates with out-of-date photocard licences to sit their driving tests as long as they provide a valid passport. This concession will end in January next year, raising the prospect that some L-test candidates will be turned away. The DVLA said no one had so far been charged with failing to surrender a licence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I've never had a Photo license, still got my old school paper one (it's falling to bits tho, lol) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trev-the-Rev Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Off-topic I know, but the DVLA are a complete and utter waste of resources imo. A number of years ago I sent my paper licence back to them to have some expired points removed. When my licence was returned to me, not only had they removed the points but also my entitlement to ride a motor bike. When I contacted them regarding this they informed me that the onus was on me to prove I had passed my test on a bike and needed to see my pass certificate. When I told them that I passed it some 20 odd years previously and no longer had the certificate (like you're going to keep it that long anyway) they said I would have to prove it by other 'acceptable' means. To cut a very long story short, I ended up having to go a solicitor with a colleague who remembered me owning bikes previously and the two of us had to sign a statement witnessed by the solicitor confirming I had a licence and that the statement was accurate and truthful. Only then would they reinstate my entitlement. Just as well I didn't own one at the time. Some of you will also know that I recently bought an Evo. It was in fact 10 weeks ago and guess what I haven't received the V5 yet!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundus Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 My photocard was issued in 2002 and expires on 2012. One thing that grinds me though is that I lost my licence a year ago and paid the £30 for a renewal. When I got my renewal through it says on it that it expires in 2012 like the original. Fair enough I shouldnt have lost it but when I renewed I paid more then the cost of a new one and had to send a new picture so why on earth would it not be valid for another 10 years? I now need to spend the cash again in a couple of years for yet another one even though this one is practically brand new (well a year old) Balls to the DVLA - motorists get ripped off left right and centre, dont know why I expected anything different here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 To be fair I need mine renewed as I now look nothing like it (cue stan to post up my license pic again! ) :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N1SM0350z Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 It makes me sick that you HAVE to pay for a new one, its not our fault, we didnt decide to make them only last 10 years FFS!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 goes nicely with the cost of renewing your passport as well and thats every 10 years as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M13KYF Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 sorry but http://www.350z-uk.com/forum/viewtopic ... =motorists Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 sorry but http://www.350z-uk.com/forum/viewtopic ... =motorists +1 - but good to highlight the issue to those that missed it first time around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilTheForce Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I'm a peaceable sorta guy but stuff like this makes my blood boil. Once again a government run organisation treats us like crap, has terrible service and charges us for the pleasure. The worst one I had recently was my local council who made a mistake and overpaid me by £10 back when I was out of work. They then sent me threatening letters demanding payment back and talking about going to court! They balls it up and have the nerve to threaten me for it?! grrrr Suggest that the system is wrong and you'll probably be bundled off as a terrorist! It's all going a bit V for Vendetta isn't it...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanS16 Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Erm. May get shot down a little for this but it costs £17.50 for 10 years. Admittedly though, it is bad that it doesn't get updated when you get a replacement card after losing it. I'd rather they sort out the price of Road tax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I was pleased, I got my address changed, an entitlement added and points removed and they didn't chanrge me. They normally charge to 'wash' your license. Not if you get a change of address though. Shame it comes back with the same renewal date though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK350Z Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I happened to notice the date recently, i think mine expires this year! Just as well really, as my photo was taken when i was a mere slip of a lad at 17. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren-B Posted February 17, 2009 Author Share Posted February 17, 2009 sorry but http://www.350z-uk.com/forum/viewtopic ... =motorists[/quote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Erm. May get shot down a little for this but it costs £17.50 for 10 years. Admittedly though, it is bad that it doesn't get updated when you get a replacement card after losing it. I'd rather they sort out the price of Road tax I'd happily pay £17.50 for 10 years road tax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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