UK Driving Licence

[RogerS]

Prompted to check when/if my driving licence had expired (Did you know it can make your car insurance invalid? No, I didn't either. Or that, AFAIK, it is an offence to drive a car without a valid licence ?)

On the front in section 4 , 4b says 21-07-16 which I am guessing is one expiry date

BUT

on the reverse where it says I can drive tanks, aircraft carriers and Tornado fighters, the date To is different and later than the front number in 4b

I'm thinking that the numbers on the back correspond with my 70th birthday when a retest is compulsory. Out of curiosity, is the rear-wheel drift round corners still part of the test?

 

[CHJ]

.....I'm thinking that the numbers on the back correspond with my 70th birthday when a retest is compulsory. ....

As long as you do not wish to drive anything (I.E. a public service vehicle, lorry etc.) other than a private car then you do not have to take a test at 70.
You just have to apply for a new license every three years which will be readily supplied as long as your doctor or optician has not flagged you up as unfit for driving.
This can be done via the Internet as long as you give DVLC permission to access your electronic passport details.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

The number on the front is when the photocard need renewing, which should be every 10 years I think. The number on the back is indeed your 70th birthday.

 

[Lons]

You just have to apply for a new license every three years which will be readily supplied as long as your doctor or optician has not flagged you up as unfit for driving.
This can be done via the Internet as long as you give DVLC permission to access your electronic passport details.

In practice, it is very unlikely that a doctor will flag up anything to anyone except yourself and as the on line application is just a number of tick boxes is the reason why there are people driving who really should not be. The boxes regarding to memory loss and confusion are the most abused.
Unless a concerned relative expresses serious concerns to the doctor and asks him to act, or takes the drastic steps of directly contacting the DVLC it just doesn't happen. A serious illness in hospital can be different where the consultant states that you can't drive.

Insurance costs are often what eventually stop the driver.

Bob

 

[loz]

The number on the front is when the photocard need renewing, which should be every 10 years I think. The number on the back is indeed your 70th birthday.

Photocard ?

My license is paper, its the one i got when i passed my test 23 years ago. Seems to satisfy the Irish Police ( Garda )

are they now obsolete in UK ?

 

[CHJ]

Photo ID card is a quick reference easy to carry form, there still is however a Full Record paper version that would carry any endorsements etc. should you wish to accumulate them and is still considered as "The Licence" and is the document often requested by those without access to the DVLC records if you wish to borrow the Rolls Royce for the afternoon.

 

[monkeybiter]

Mine's still paper, though that may change in the next few weeks.

 

[loz]

P should you wish to accumulate them .

I started to but wasn't very good, Ive one sp30 from oct 93, but haven't managed to get anything since.

 

[Eric The Viking]

I had to do mine last year. It costs a lot to 'renew' something I didn't want nor need in the first place. And the lettering wore off in my wallet. And you still need to produce both parts if requested, so there's no point in it really, unless...

... it's actually a revenue-raising scheme and/or a way of enforcing more EU rules and/or an ID card by the back door.

Hate the things. And passports with RFID chips in them.

E.

 

[Harbo]

What a load of cobblers - what do you suggest instead ?
Too much paranoia I think?
I find them very useful when travelling abroad when having to show an ID and much more convenient that carrying a Passport.

Rod

 

[RogerS]

What a load of cobblers - what do you suggest instead ?
Too much paranoia I think?
I find them very useful when travelling abroad when having to show an ID and much more convenient that carrying a Passport.

Rod

Aye, you're right there. A few years back we were flying up to Edinburgh for my sister's wedding. Tickets booked with BMI (IIRC) and as far as BMI were concerned all you needed to travel was your e-ticket. However, between booking and printing the ticket, BMI got taken over by FlyBe (IIRC) and their criteria for flight was a passport! From Birmingham to Edinburgh, I ask you....but none of their email correspondence indicated this was a requirement and clearly nobody at FlyBe had thought 'outside the box' and that their flight reqs might be different from BMI's.

So we bowled up at the airport and went to check-in. Luckily as I was hiring a car I had my new photo-ID licence with me which they accepted. My wife had to be given 'special dispensation'.

 

[marcros]

What a load of cobblers - what do you suggest instead ?
Too much paranoia I think?
I find them very useful when travelling abroad when having to show an ID and much more convenient that carrying a Passport.

Rod

Aye, you're right there. A few years back we were flying up to Edinburgh for my sister's wedding. Tickets booked with BMI (IIRC) and as far as BMI were concerned all you needed to travel was your e-ticket. However, between booking and printing the ticket, BMI got taken over by FlyBe (IIRC) and their criteria for flight was a passport! From Birmingham to Edinburgh, I ask you....but none of their email correspondence indicated this was a requirement and clearly nobody at FlyBe had thought 'outside the box' and that their flight reqs might be different from BMI's.

word of warning- check again before you rely on it again to fly. Ryanair used to allow you to fly into Ireland (or UK to UK) on a driving license but insist on a passport now as a company policy. I cant remember what I needed to go on Eastern Airways to Aberdeen, but I think i took a passport just in case.
So we bowled up at the airport and went to check-in. Luckily as I was hiring a car I had my new photo-ID licence with me which they accepted. My wife had to be given 'special dispensation'.

 

[RogerS]

What a load of cobblers - what do you suggest instead ?
Too much paranoia I think?
I find them very useful when travelling abroad when having to show an ID and much more convenient that carrying a Passport.

Rod

Aye, you're right there. A few years back we were flying up to Edinburgh for my sister's wedding. Tickets booked with BMI (IIRC) and as far as BMI were concerned all you needed to travel was your e-ticket. However, between booking and printing the ticket, BMI got taken over by FlyBe (IIRC) and their criteria for flight was a passport! From Birmingham to Edinburgh, I ask you....but none of their email correspondence indicated this was a requirement and clearly nobody at FlyBe had thought 'outside the box' and that their flight reqs might be different from BMI's.

word of warning- check again before you rely on it again to fly. Ryanair used to allow you to fly into Ireland (or UK to UK) on a driving license but insist on a passport now as a company policy. I cant remember what I needed to go on Eastern Airways to Aberdeen, but I think i took a passport just in case.
So we bowled up at the airport and went to check-in. Luckily as I was hiring a car I had my new photo-ID licence with me which they accepted. My wife had to be given 'special dispensation'.

That's not a problem as I will never fly Ryanair!

 

[riclepp]

A word of caution though when renewing your driving licensce. The DVLA have in the past taken away parts of your licensce i.e. categories that you can drive and it took ages for them to acknowledge teir mistake and replace. So take either a photo copy of scan of your licensce and fully check it when you get it back. A point to note they do this on a very regular basis as most of them at DVLA are morons.

 

[monkeybiter]

Thanks for the 'heads up'.

 

[Cowboy _Builder]

I've just renewed mine ,they sent me a letter informing me that i must do it or face some sort of penalty , i did it online and they used my passport photo ,it only took 3 days to arrive , i got a letter with it saying i must renew it again on the 29/09/2021 1 day before my 70th birthday (feel free to send gifts if you remember).
If you drive in Spain you must have both parts of the licence and your passport with you at all times , if not the fine is 50€ minimum or as much as they want to charge you ....150€ seems to be the going rate .

 

[Phil Pascoe]

A word of caution though when renewing your driving licence. The DVLA have in the past taken away parts of your licence i.e. categories that you can drive and it took ages for them to acknowledge their mistake and replace. So take either a photo copy of scan of your licence and fully check it when you get it back. A point to note they do this on a very regular basis as most of them at DVLA are morons.

The favourite being to lose the motorcycle category - this happened to an acquaintance of mine, who'd held a licence for 40yrs, and had to retake his test. It actually happened to a police motorcyclist as well.

 

[Dodge]

A word of caution though when renewing your driving licensce. The DVLA have in the past taken away parts of your licensce i.e. categories that you can drive and it took ages for them to acknowledge teir mistake and replace. So take either a photo copy of scan of your licensce and fully check it when you get it back. A point to note they do this on a very regular basis as most of them at DVLA are morons.

I had exactly this happen to me a few months ago - having lost/misplaced/put somewhere safe my paper driving licence (Doh!) ended up applying for a new photocard replacement which came within a few days as my passport is current.

Anyway a few days after receiving I looked more closely to realise that I could no longer drive a 7.5 tonner or tow a trailer. A phone call later and after pressing numerous this button/that button got through to someone who agreed that these items should have been on my licence and arranged a replacement.

If I hadnt have looked could have been very embarrassing had I have been stopped for any reason

 

[Timberfreak]

Slightly off-topic, although it's still related to driving . . .

Someone already mentioned license reqirements for driving in Spain, and today on the TV I heard a few snippets required for driving in France, and apparantly these are rigorously enforced :-

* The driver must be in possession of a Hi-viz jacket/waistcoat and . . .
* a red warning triangle.

** If using a satnav it must either --
1) not have a speed camera "sniffing" capability, or
2) if it DOES have then that facility MUST be switched off. The closing word was that if your satnav speed camera warning can't be switched off -- DON'T TAKE IT WITH YOU.

:shock:

 

[Peter T]

Slightly off-topic, although it's still related to driving . . .

Someone already mentioned license reqirements for driving in Spain, and today on the TV I heard a few snippets required for driving in France, and apparantly these are rigorously enforced :-

* The driver must be in possession of a Hi-viz jacket/waistcoat and . . .
* a red warning triangle.

** If using a satnav it must either --
1) not have a speed camera "sniffing" capability, or
2) if it DOES have then that facility MUST be switched off. The closing word was that if your satnav speed camera warning can't be switched off -- DON'T TAKE IT WITH YOU.

:shock:

You need hi viz jackets for everyone in the car, and they need to be accessible without getting out of the car.

As well as the warning triangle you should have spare light bulbs. I've also seen something about carrying disposable breathalisers as well.