Driving licence trap: 1.6m drivers risk hefty fine for not renewing photograph at £20 cost

January 4th, 2012

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

By
Lee Boyce

Last updated at 7:17 PM on 3rd January 2012

Over 1.6million drivers could be at risk of a £1,000 fine because the photograph on their driving licence has expired, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.

Sainsbury’s car insurance discovered that many motorists are at risk of a hefty fine because they may not be aware that a photograph on their driving licence needs to be updated every ten years at a cost of £20, as set out by the DVLA. Those with old-style paper licences are not affected.

As well as 1.6million drivers’ photographs that have expired, a further 2.9million must be renewed by the end of 2012 – and over the next five years, almost 13million drivers must renew their photograph to abide by the law.

Driving licenses: Photo licenses became mandatory in 1998 - and if your photograph needs to be updated every ten years

Driving licenses: Photo licenses became mandatory in 1998 – and if your photograph needs to be updated every ten years

According to Sainsbury’s statistics, 41 per cent of drivers are not fully aware of the consequences of having an expired photograph on their licence.

Failure to update your photograph carries a £1,000 fine and can be enforced by the police under Section 99 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

There is no impact on your car insurance as long as the driver has not been disqualified or told not to drive by the DVLA (due to a medical issue, for example).

Renewing a photo card licence costs £20 and this may deter many motorists who believe they have already forked out enough for their licence.

The supermarket bank carried out a further survey and found that fewer than one in three of those drivers with an expired licence are aware that it has expired.

A further 10million people do not know when their licence expires and 14 per cent of expired photo card licences have been out-of-date since 2009 or before.

The research also revealed that the vast majority of drivers are unaware of the true consequences of having an expired photograph on their driving licence.

Just 29 per cent know that it could make you liable for a £1,000 fine. However, almost a third (31 per cent) of drivers incorrectly said they thought it could invalidate your motor insurance and 27 per cent thought it could mean getting points on your licence.

Interestingly, 13 per cent of drivers thought it could result in your car being confiscated.

Ben Tyte, head of Sainsbury’s car insurance, said: ‘The photo card driving licence was introduced in 1998 so it’s unsurprising that those issued with a licence around that time may not remember that they need to update their photograph.

‘We would therefore encourage all drivers to check when their photo card was issued and ensure that they arrange to update their photo when required to avoid risking a £1,000 fine.

‘Drivers should also remember that their photo card licence serves as more than just a driving licence. Should they intend to use it as a form of identification for other things such as hiring a car or an internal flight, for example, having an out of date photograph could cause problems or delays.’

What about the old style paper licences?

The AA website states that if you still have a paper driving licence you don’t have to worry about ten yearly updates, though you must still notify DVLA of name or address changes.

It also says that parliament has given powers to recall all paper licences so the more secure photo card licences will be held by everyone, but no date has been set for this, and the Government is well aware that it would be controversial to make everyone buy a new licence.

The AA has said that if the government insists on everyone changing, it should phase in such a move and subsidise the cost.

Keeping the details on your paper licence up to date will ensure that DVLA is able to tell you when this is happening and if you need to do something.

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have not been moderated.

Newest
Oldest
Best rated
Worst rated

We have to pay £20 just to have a EU flag on it. Why not a union flag. That is why I don’t want to pay for any renewal. By removing the EU reference then we know it is a Westminster rip-off and not a bl**dy Brussels one.

– Taxpayer, Downtrodden England, 04/1/2012 05:22

Haha, I’ve still got my original pink paper licence, so I don’t have to change it for a new one with a photograph until I change my address. I remember in Australia I was met with open-mouthed awe which quickly turned to merriment at our British eccentricities when I presented my tattered, falling-apart old pink paper driving licence as proof of my driving ability. They unfolded it very gingerly and handled it as carefully as one would a very ancient manuscript (which indeed it was). But they accepted it. I’ve never had a problem anywhere in Europe either with my good old pink paper licence.

– Susan, Manchester, 04/1/2012 04:11

I’ve still got a paper one 🙂

– old git, here, 04/1/2012 02:03

You don’t by law need a passport to go to Europe despite what the UK says.
People travelling between countries in Europe require proof of identity not a passport.
A Driving License with a photograph meets that legal requirement but Labour again entered into some money-spinner for yet another Blair related Consultancy (Blair had people from several Consultancies working for him as Ministers and others who sat in on meetings).

– Dave, Gloucester, 04/1/2012 01:34

MP’s will make a claim on their expenses like they do for everything else.

– R W Paul, Countesthorpe Leicestershire, 04/1/2012 01:17

When the photo driving licence was introduced it was made known byt the then government that it wouldnt cost you further money to renew the photo. Mine ran out after 8 years not 10. The people who claim they didnt know their licence had run out are lying as you get sent a reminder. If you go to a postoffice, they can send the information, take a digital photo and signiture and its back within 10 days, whereas if you go to one of those photo booths and fill in the form and post it to the DVLA it takes 4 to 6 weeks to get it back. Photocopy both sides of your licence before sending it as there has also been reports of the DVLA removing some entitlements of your driving licence in error then refusing to put them back on

– Melanie,, Britain, 04/1/2012 01:10

Ha ha,years ago we were taught about “reds under the bed” and cameras watching your every move in so-called communist countries.Well what have we got in good old UK ?
Should I say any more ?

– Maurice, Wales, 04/1/2012 01:04

So what if you don’t drive anymore, do you still need to update your photo?

– James Ford, The Island, 04/1/2012 00:43

HA. I have one of those old paper ones. Good to know it doesn’t affect me.

– AA, Aberdeen, 04/1/2012 00:24

Legal theft and con!, all aproved of course by our mps who you all vote for!.Now hand over the £££££££££££.

– Andrew, Cumbria uk, 04/1/2012 00:01

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.