For any motorists out there who have the new photocard driving licence be aware of the £1,000 fine you may face if you fail to renew this licence.
Many motorists are completely oblivious to the fact that a) the licence is only valid for ten years, b) it costs money to renew and c) the said fines for failing to renew on time.
The first photocard driving licences were issued in July 1998 and they remain valid for 10 years. A total of 16,136 licences have now expired, but DVLA figures reveal that so far only 11,566 drivers have renewed, leaving 4,570 outstanding.
The cost of renewing a photocard driving licence is £17.50 and a failure to hold a valid driving licence could mean a £1,000 fine. A further 300,000 photocard driving licences are due to expire over the next 12 months with around 25 million have been issued to date.
However, many drivers with lapsed licences will be unaware that they are breaking the law because the photocard licences do not display the expiry date clearly. No they certainly do not as I inspected a colleagues one. Critics claim that the Government has failed to publicise the need to renew, leading to accusations that ministers were imposing a stealth tax on motorists.
Stealth tax? More like the biggest robbery of the century. £17.50 to renew every ten years. That billions of revenue for the government.
Thank goodness I have kept my trusty albeit dog-eared paper licence valid until I am 70 with no renewal costs.
What a rip off
Jackie Violet - Female First