THE Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA) has data which shows that more than 900,000 UK motorists are at risk of having to pay a £1,000 fine for using an expired photocard driving licence.
The news comes from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the Press Association, which highlighted the number of drivers on UK roads using expired photocard driving licences.
The number means that around 2% of UK road users are still out on the road with licences that ran out in August this year – 2022. While some of those road users will have simply stopped driving without notifying the DVLA, a great number are likely to be still using their vehicles unknowing that their licence is expired. The same FOI request found that some 2.5 million road users did indeed renew their licence this year, although they did so after the expiration date noted on the licence.
The DVLA has reported that those who renewed after the expiration date will not be fined, as will those who have active renewals with the agency.
How will I know if I’m due a fine from DVLA for an expired driving licence?
The DVLA should contact you 56 days prior to your licence becoming expired, although as is the way, these letters will often be missed – especially if you have changed address and not told the DVLA. Another quick way to check is to look on the front of your photocard driving licence and scan for the line marked ‘4b’. This date is the expiry date of your driving licence. If that date has passed and you haven’t renewed, you might want to call the DVLA.
You driving licence has a ten-year expiry date on it until you reach the age of 70. From then on it is required to check in with the DVLA every three years. DVLA rules state that a failure to do this can be punished with a fine of up to £1,000 under the Road Traffic Act 1988.
More information on renewing your photocard licence can be found here.
