1000's of Drivers Facing £1000 Fines (1 Viewer)

Jim

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Thousands of drivers 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.

This absolute fiasco has come to light a decade after the first batch of photo licences was issued in July 1998 are now expiring. When I passed my test I got a driving licence. It meant I was responsible and competent to drive. End of story, I already paid £50 for a licence, why should I pay another £17.50 to keep it. Yet another of Gordons stealth taxes:Angry:

Official DVLA figures show that while 16,136 expired late last year, so far only 11,566 drivers have renewed, leaving 4,570 outstanding; these will be fined up to £1000.

With 300,000 licences due to expire this year alone, and 25million licences out there, I imagine a few extra million heading Gordons way, he is on a win-win, he gets tens of millions if you renew and hundreds of millions if you don't:Doh:

Check item 4b on your licence, this is your renewal date, get your cheque book ready:RollEyes:
 

American Dream

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Cheers Jim,

Not a lot of people know that.Me included.Got me worried there for a minute.

They should be sending out reminder/RENEWAL notices......

Or is that too much trouble for the computer that's spending all it's processing power fining people who don't SORN or tax their vehicle in time.:Angry:

Big Brother wants your money NOW......

Just found this.It does say a reminder will be sent.

Link Removed

Need a new or updated licence : Directgov - Motoring
 
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passionwagon

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Thousands of drivers 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.

This absolute fiasco has come to light a decade after the first batch of photo licences was issued in July 1998 are now expiring. When I passed my test I got a driving licence. It meant I was responsible and competent to drive. End of story, I already paid £50 for a licence, why should I pay another £17.50 to keep it. Yet another of Gordons stealth taxes:Angry:

Official DVLA figures show that while 16,136 expired late last year, so far only 11,566 drivers have renewed, leaving 4,570 outstanding; these will be fined up to £1000.

With 300,000 licences due to expire this year alone, and 25million licences out there, I imagine a few extra million heading Gordons way, he is on a win-win, he gets tens of millions if you renew and hundreds of millions if you don't:Doh:

Check item 4b on your licence, this is your renewal date, get your cheque book ready:RollEyes:


:whatthe:Sorry but another misquote. The licence is always valid until 70. It is the photograph that needs to be renewed and for which the penalty applies.:whatthe:

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Braunston

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Hi,

I started a thread on this subject a few weeks ago, and like you I read the details on the web site which stated that it was the Photo that expired and the licence lasted until you were 70 subject to any medical conditions etc.

But if you actually look at the details on the back of the plastic licence 4a - Licence valid From 4b Licence Valid To. it mentions nothing about the photo just that the date under 4b is when your licence expires

Thats the goverments ability to keep us all informed, they can't even get that right what hope do we have ??


:whatthe:Sorry but another misquote. The licence is always valid until 70. It is the photograph that needs to be renewed and for which the penalty applies.:whatthe:
 
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Jim

Jim

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:whatthe:Sorry but another misquote. The licence is always valid until 70. :whatthe:

Not so. Your right to a licence remains, but the licence is NOT always valid. The licence becomes "invalid" after 10 years. 4b is the "valid to" date.
 

lesleyjean

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I must be one of the lucky ones. I did not bother getting a photo license.
I still have the paper license and mine will last me until I am 70 years old without having to renew at all, providing I do not move house and need to update.
Got no intention of moving house, so will continue to keep paper license until the government decides that everyone must have a picture license.


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robrobc

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Not so. Your right to a licence remains, but the licence is NOT always valid. The licence becomes "invalid" after 10 years. 4b is the "valid to" date.

I am with you on this one Jim.
I must say though that even by Gordon Brown's measurement of stealthy unjust taxation, this one is a belter.
In excess of a quarter of a billion every 10 years for allowing people to do what they were doing already is by any means sneaky.
Still we all know that sooner or later we will be ticking the ballot papers ::bigsmile:
 
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I am with you on this one Jim.
I must say though that even by Gordon Brown's measurement of stealthy unjust taxation, this one is a belter.
In excess of a quarter of a billion every 10 years for allowing people to do what they were doing already is by any means sneaky.
Still we all know that sooner or later we will be ticking the ballot papers ::bigsmile:

Don't be harsh on GB he needs the money to bail out the banks:ROFLMAO:
 
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You probably all know this but the modern plastic E111's also have expiry dates, also we got them at the same time and and mine expires this year and Dot's in 2011 ?????

Ralph

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davejen

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Thousands of drivers 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.

This absolute fiasco has come to light a decade after the first batch of photo licences was issued in July 1998 are now expiring. When I passed my test I got a driving licence. It meant I was responsible and competent to drive. End of story, I already paid £50 for a licence, why should I pay another £17.50 to keep it. Yet another of Gordons stealth taxes:Angry:

Official DVLA figures show that while 16,136 expired late last year, so far only 11,566 drivers have renewed, leaving 4,570 outstanding; these will be fined up to £1000.

With 300,000 licences due to expire this year alone, and 25million licences out there, I imagine a few extra million heading Gordons way, he is on a win-win, he gets tens of millions if you renew and hundreds of millions if you don't:Doh:

Check item 4b on your licence, this is your renewal date, get your cheque book ready:RollEyes:

Hi, Jim, just checked my licence and it runs out in October - so thanks for this excellent post.
regards, Dave:thumb:
 

dylan

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I changed from paper to photo licence and sent off my £17 50 cheque and they sent photo licence back and my cheque saying no need to pay ! Couldn't believe it but didn't question it !:whatthe:
 

pappajohn

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got another 19 months to save my £35 for renewal.....dont laugh, thats what it will cost by the end of 2010 the way things are going.:cry::Angry:

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tyrangie1

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Paper Licence

I have a paper licence and have not changed my address it has the European logo on and is colour pink.
Do I have to change it to a photo licence if I am going abroad.
Thanks :Confused:
 

Bulletguy

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I started a thread on this subject a few weeks ago, and like you I read the details on the web site which stated that it was the Photo that expired and the licence lasted until you were 70 subject to any medical conditions etc.
Not so. Your right to a licence remains, but the licence is NOT always valid. The licence becomes "invalid" after 10 years. 4b is the "valid to" date.
Actually Braunston is right Jim.

The licence itself does not become invalid after 10 years.....only the photo. Drivers who qualified long before the photocard licence was introduced and were issued with a paper licence, such as myself, still have to retain that paper licence in addition to the photocard.

Following paragraph can be read on Direct Gov.uk website which explains in detail about the photocard licence;

Date of licence issue, photo expiry, issuing authority (4)
The date shown in 4a is the date the photo is valid from. 4b shows either the date the photo expires (driving entitlement is valid until 70th Birthday) or the date entitlement expires (medically restricted and over 70 licences). The authority that issued the licence is shown in 4c ie DVLA.

The photocard driving licence explained : Directgov - Motoring
 
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Jim

Jim

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Actually Braunston is right Jim.

The licence itself does not become invalid after 10 years.....only the photo.

The photocard driving licence explained : Directgov - Motoring


Your licence becomes invalid, until you pay £17.50 to renew it. Much like a passport, the reason for the renewal is to change the the photo, if you do not change the photo the licence becomes invalid, just like your passport. 4a Licence valid from 4b licence valid to. I guess that technically, your entitlement to drive remains; if you were stopped you would be prosecuted for not renewing, rather than for not having a licence. Either way, its just another tax on the motorist.

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hilldweller

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I have a paper licence and have not changed my address it has the European logo on and is colour pink.
Do I have to change it to a photo licence if I am going abroad.
Thanks :Confused:

I'm sure I seen a post suggesting some EU countries demand this, so I just got my wife to change hers on line, quite painless. They pull the sig and picture off your passport.

I did mine by post last year.

It's no bad thing to have an official picture for identification. It might say rooting out a passport.

Just google DVLA driving licence and the site is obvious.
 

Bulletguy

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Your licence becomes invalid, until you pay £17.50 to renew it. Much like a passport, the reason for the renewal is to change the the photo, if you do not change the photo the licence becomes invalid, just like your passport. 4a Licence valid from 4b licence valid to. I guess that technically, your entitlement to drive remains; if you were stopped you would be prosecuted for not renewing, rather than for not having a licence. Either way, its just another tax on the motorist.
I suspect the majority of us on here hold the green paper licence? That is your licence which is valid until the age of 70 when a medical is required.

I think it states quite clearly on the site Jim that in relation to the photocard licence, the dates printed on represent the validity of the photograph......not the validity of the licence. That the period is ten years doesn't mean your driving licence has expired, because you still have it. It's a piece of green paper. If you are caught driving without holding that, then you will be prosecuted. But i doubt anyone here has known (or ever will) hear of someone actually being prosecuted for having an 'invalid' photocard licence.

Yes the photocard has been introduced as another stealth tax. The legal green paper licence was issued without charge until a few years ago when the Government thought 'whoopee.....£17.50 x 50 odd million folk = squillions more loot.....plus we get to grab more every ten years'.
Not so much a driving licence.....more a licence to print money.
 

saxon

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So basically - if you passed your test more than 10 years ago and haven't moved house, you are OK.
If you moved house and didn't get a plastic card, you are breaking the law for not notifying them of change of address
If you do not renew the plastic, althought you are still entitled to drive, you are breaking the law for not renewing your photo every 10th year and I would like to know what your insurance company would do if you had a bang.

For the rest of us (sadly, we moved house) we have to renew every 10 years to stay legal and remain insured.

:cry::roflmto:

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Jim

Jim

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I think it states quite clearly on the site Jim that in relation to the photocard licence, the dates printed on represent the validity of the photograph......not the validity of the licence.

Yes that is how they might have dressed it up when they were selling the new licence to us, but on the licence, where it matters, it states quite clearly that the dates are to do with licence validity. Its academic anyway. It means one and the same. We cough up.
 

Bulletguy

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Yes that is how they might have dressed it up when they were selling the new licence to us, but on the licence, where it matters, it states quite clearly that the dates are to do with licence validity. Its academic anyway. It means one and the same. We cough up.
Know anyone who has actually been prosecuted for having an invalid photocard? I don't. I doubt any of ever will either.
 
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Jim

Jim

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Know anyone who has actually been prosecuted for having an invalid photocard? I don't. I doubt any of ever will either.

I asked the DVLA and they have not yet replied. But according to a Lib Dem MP who's name escapes me, none of the present 5000 invalid licence holders has been prosecuted.

DVLA say that they are sending out the warnings, so knowing them like we do, the fines will definitely follow.

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pappajohn

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Know anyone who has actually been prosecuted for having an invalid photocard? I don't. I doubt any of ever will either.

the plod in scarborough have been having a purge on drivers just recently, seat belts, mobile phones ect

theres been a few folks prosecuted for...

"driving other than in accordance with their driving licence"

this could mean any number of things.....

unaccompanied with provisional licence.

expired licence

wrong type of licence for vehicle (possibly too heavy a trailer)

no licence at all

disqualified driver

the list goes on but i feel sure it would come under this heading:Sad:

 

Bulletguy

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the plod in scarborough have been having a purge on drivers just recently, seat belts, mobile phones ect....theres been a few folks prosecuted for...
The Police are employed to enforce the law so no problem with that.....they are simply doing their job.

The point i'm making is it is highly unlikely that anyone who passed their driving test prior to the photocard licence being introduced and therefore holding a green paper licence, would be liable to prosecution simply because the photograph is over ten years old! That is total pottiness.

This is what a representative from the DVLA said at the time of introduction back in 1998;

Noel Husband from the DVLA says: "If you are pulled over by the police, the card licence will establish that you are the person entitled to be driving that vehicle or that you are entitled to hold a driving licence." Mr Husband says both sections are as important as each other, "the photocard licence is not a full licence on its own."
 

ronald4874

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Photo D/L

If you go overseas, say into Europe, your Photo D/L is essential. The green lic is in english so if in Spain the Cops there cannot understand and may make an on the spot fine. So is it worth being without one?

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Jim

Jim

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I am sure Spanish, French, German police et al will be checking that date at 4b :Smile:
 

Bulletguy

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This thread seems to be veering off in another direction altogether.

First it was about 1000's of motorists facing £1000 fines......now it's gone to all Police Forces outside the UK!

Read what the guy from the DVLA said......don't bother reading anything what i've written!

Yes of course a photocard licence is usually asked for when abroad, but you'd better make damn sure you have your green paper licence with you as well as thats exactly what i was asked for in Germany last year. You'd be amazed....many foreign Police actually can read english as well as speak it!!
 
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Jim

Jim

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Its not veered too far,:Smile: foreign police will be reading what it says on the licence, and probably giving you an on the spot fine if you are past the date at 4b. They won't be bothered about what some guy from the DVLA said. They will be reading the Valid from - Valid to IMO if this date is out, showing them your crumpled green bit of paper won't make any difference at all. If you are past the date at 4b your licence is invalid, simple as.

If you are so sure that your licence remains valid, don't bother renewing yours and save the £17.50:Smile:

This thread seems to be veering off in another direction altogether.

First it was about 1000's of motorists facing £1000 fines......now it's gone to all Police Forces outside the UK!

Read what the guy from the DVLA said......don't bother reading anything what i've written!

Yes of course a photocard licence is usually asked for when abroad, but you'd better make damn sure you have your green paper licence with you as well as thats exactly what i was asked for in Germany last year. You'd be amazed....many foreign Police actually can read english as well as speak it!!

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