Driving licence fines threaten two million drivers

[Conniff]

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.

 

However, two million drivers have failed to do this.

 

More ...

[MaisyMouse]

Having read the article, it looks like the DVLA is crawling along the same lines as the automatic fining system based on a database for taking cars offroad. I've only had a photo licence for a year, renewed when I passed my test. My father however still has an olde paper licence which the article says is to be phased out in two years time.

 

He always carries his passport with him along with the licence but this doesn't save him from the mandatory charge of updating.

 

There's definitely something rotten in the Swansea offices.

[crem]

Another area for profiteering to take place in the DVLA.

 

If their only concern was that we all have an uptodate photo to help the police, then the updates should be free or produced purely "at cost". There is no way it should be costing the DVLA £20 to produce a new photo licence, probably more like a fiver!

[sameagle]

Private parking companies, pay day loan sharks, people who offer to carry out repairs to your perfectly sound roof, debt collectors, Nigerian sc.am merchants, the DVLA.

 

All the same, except that one is backed by the Government and Politicans, [and there's two more set's of shyster's]

 

Sam

[Surfer01]

Please note, that although the photocard may expire, your driving entitlement doesn't. Now how weird is that? See here.

[Conniff]

Private parking companies, pay day loan sharks, people who offer to carry out repairs to your perfectly sound roof, debt collectors, Nigerian sc.am merchants, the DVLA.

 

All the same, except that one is backed by the Government and Politicans, [and there's two more set's of shyster's]

 

Sam

 

Don't agree with that sameagle. As the government refuses to stamp down on payday loan companies and allows them to charge the rip-off rates in the thousands of %, that means they must agree with it, so they are government backed as well.

[ericsbrother]

Lets face it, compuslory ID cards by another name. They do the same in the US but there, if you dont have a driving license they issue you one that doesnt entitle you to drive just so the police can ask for it as they dont have ID cards. I had to have mine because I moved house and it was required for the updating. They cost about 50p to produce and they dont show any entitlement to drive, that is on your paper licence but produce theat and not the photo card and you get procecuted, the exact same reason they scrapped ID cards in 1952.

[Kiki1]

As per the SORN fiasco above (now below) this thread, there is an e-petition that deals with the issue of the photocard licenece renewal

 

http://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/44285

[The Hooligan]

Yet another DVLA extortive [problem]. Signed and shared

[nanap]

I had to renew my photocard license and I had not held it for 10 years. They had put the wrong date on and no one listened!! It's as big a [problem] as these speeding camera's!

[crem]

Sometimes the licence shows less than 10 years depending on how the original was produced. For example, if you held a provisional for 4 years before pasing your test, the full licence will only carry the remaining 6 years that your photo had left before expiring.

[nanap]

Mine was 1981 and my son's said it would be a good idea to get the new card so I did, but I didn't have it 10 years. My original paper one was almost 15 years old. I still think it is a swizz.

[gigz1962]

I've just renewed mine (almost a year late) and i look more like my old photo than my new one !!!

[crem]

Well I've still got my last paper one from 1994 when I last moved house. I'm hanging on to it for as long as possible when they'll have to pry it out of dying hand!

[Minkiesmum]

Yeah, was supposed to do mine in August but living on £71 a week right now so it's WAY down my list of priorities, I'm afraid !! I'd have done it if it was free but it's £20 !! They can wait.

 

Lynda~

[Big Bill]

The DVLA's own annual reports (available on-line) show that over the last few years they cannot trace the registered keeper of a vehicle from their Vehicle Register in between 1 in 23 and 1 in 34 cases. The target is better than 4%. The situation with the Driver Register is even worse where the driver cannot be traced from the record in nearly 25% of cases. The target is 20%.

How on earth can they be allowed to continue issuing penalties "from the record" with that level of inaccuracy.