Thread: How Long Does The Dvla Hold Your Motoring Offence Records?

how long does the dvla keep records of your speeding / motoring offences on their computers / manual filing systems.

thanks

Insofar as the DVLA systems are capable of holding any data securely, they hold it for ever.

Originally Posted by patdavies

Insofar as the DVLA systems are capable of holding any data securely, they hold it for ever.

..and when they no longer hold it, they have probably given it out to every Tom Dick or Harry so you can get it from there. Failing that, search the nearest roundabout, as being a government body, they have more than likely lost a disk on it some time recently.

It depends on th offence, speeding offences,no insurance etc will drop off after 4 years.

thanks everyone for your comments inc the funny ones...and yeah they do never receive our letters.....they still think my car is not taxed even thou I have sent proof in twice lol

Originally Posted by johno1066

It depends on th offence, speeding offences,no insurance etc will drop off after 4 years.

No. That's when they can be taken off your licence and that wasn't the OP's question.

The question was "How long do the DVLA hold the record?" and the answer is forever.

Hi everyone I got my answer through the freedom of information act this is what the dvla said...........

Thank you for your e-mail of 25 February asking for information under
the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. The information you
require is freely available and this is being answered as "Business as
usual."

Endorsements remain on a driving licence (and DVLA's computer records)
for:

11 years from the date of conviction for offences relating to
drink/drugs and driving, causing death by careless driving whilst uinder
the influence of drink/drugs and causing death by careless driving then
failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

4 years from date of conviction for reckless/dangerous driving and
offences resulting in disqualification.

4 years from the date of offence in all other cases.

After this time, the spent endorsements are deleted from DVLA's
computer records. DVLA does not hold any manual paper records of
motoring offences.

Yours sincerely

Cheryl James
Drivers Customer Support

dont you have to write in to them to actually get it removed? otherwise it just stays on??

Originally Posted by annoyed09

dont you have to write in to them to actually get it removed? otherwise it just stays on??

only in so far as the points are physically on your paper part of your license. If you don't send it back after 4 years then they will be visible on your license for as long as you keep it, although they will be invalid points.

Of course, if you send your license back to have them removed, they are not actually removed from your license, they are simply producing a new license for you from their current database, which ties in with their official response that these points were deleted from their files and therfore aren't printed on the new license.

I simply don't believe their official response I'm afraid.

Trying taking a motoring offence as far as Court. When the matter of sentencing arises, the Magistrates have a printout of your entire motoring offence history since the year dot.

I agree.

Originally Posted by S8NDS

Hi everyone I got my answer through the freedom of information act this is what the dvla said...........
After this time, the spent endorsements are deleted from DVLA's
computer records. DVLA does not hold any manual paper records of
motoring offences.
Cheryl James
Drivers Customer Support

Could it be the 'record' is maintained elsewhere than with the DVLA?
say, a Court or Records office?

Could S8NDS respond to the DVLA with what PatDavis says and ask for their comment in view of the apparently conflicting information?

Originally Posted by Tony P

Could it be the 'record' is maintained elsewhere than with the DVLA?

Originally Posted by Tony P

say, a Court or Records office?

Could S8NDS respond to the DVLA with what PatDavis says and ask for their comment in view of the apparently conflicting information?

Yeah no worries I will ask them that...............get back to you guys soon

Someone I know had endorsements on this licence from 1972, 1980 and 5 years ago had to appear in court with his paper licence, which was issued in 1977.
On production of the licence, the Mags. Clerk told the Magistrates that both endorsements were spent, and should treat my mate's licence as clean.
This duly happened, and no notice was taken of the old spent endorsements when considering the case on trial at the time.

Originally Posted by patdavies

I simply don't believe their official response I'm afraid.

Trying taking a motoring offence as far as Court. When the matter of sentencing arises, the Magistrates have a printout of your entire motoring offence history since the year dot.

Not sure if this is going to be any help but my experience of this is that when I was 17 in 1979 I was banned from driving for 12 months as I failed a breath test as I was one point over the limit. - Very young and stupid and learned a big lesson.

in 1991 I got caught speeding and had to go to the magistrates court. I was very worried because at that time I needed my car for my job and thought that because my licence showed that I had already been banned once before that this would go against me. Also because of the speed I had been travelling I could have been automatically banned too.

In the court the judge asked the clerk of the court if I had any penalty points on the licence and the clerk replied that the licence had no penalty points and was clean.

I am sure that the court representitive would have seen that my licence showed the ban but as more than 11 years had passed it was obviously a spent conviction.

Because of the circumstances surrounding the reason why I was driving so fast the court had discretion and I didnt lose my licence - had 6 points added and a fine.

I had to surrender my licence to the court and when it came back from DVLA the original conviction from 1979 had been removed.

When it became a requirement to have a photo ID driving licence I applied for a new one and when it came the 6 points from 1991 also have been removed too.

So my experience is that if the time has lapsed even if the conviction still shows on the licence it does not go against you in court.

only with your agreement, ie they need you to sign a bit of paper for them to get the dvla to release a copy of your licence to them

of course if theres money involved then am sure the dvla can just sell it to anyone,in my own opinion anyway