Posted 1 day ago
Renewing driving licence and fines question
Im currently filling in the paperwork to renew my driving license. Shockingly, it expired in 2015. It says you can be fined £1000 for it being out of date.
I've literally never thought of this. I'm only renewing it because my address has changed. I do recall hearing that you could get fined for it being out of date but I'm just never thought on. I don't carry it with me, it's lived in a drawer for as long as I can remember.
I'm now worried that renewing my license is going to result in me being issued with a £1000 fine.
Does anyone have any experience of this?
I've literally never thought of this. I'm only renewing it because my address has changed. I do recall hearing that you could get fined for it being out of date but I'm just never thought on. I don't carry it with me, it's lived in a drawer for as long as I can remember.
I'm now worried that renewing my license is going to result in me being issued with a £1000 fine.
Does anyone have any experience of this?
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31 Comments
sorted byThe above does not apply to reapplying after medical issues or after bans. With them you have to wait until the DVLA have actually issued the new license.
It is not a scam. The OP should not have been driving after the date their licence expired if it was a photo licence. However, it is done now & they can just send it off in the post & keep the proof of postage to prove they have applied & all is good.
£14 to do it online but I was unable to do this, the system said I needed to use D1 form.
Using this system is £17. You also need to send a cheque or postal order for the £17. I don't have a checkbook anywhere from memory, so a £2.50 charge for the postal order + the recorded delivery of £5
So nearly £25 for a new card. (edited)
No need for rec-del: just retain the freebie certificate of posting (free at PO at time of sending) plus the standard mail postage receipt and your item is deemed delivered even if it isn't - that's wot the law sez
You have also been driving without valid insurance for a long time. I suspect you've been dinged a few times by police ANPR over the years and each time the police decided they couldn't be bothered to stop you. Without a license or insurance your car would've been impounded and you'd possibly be in front of a judge.
Renew the license now. I can't see them automatically fining you (too much hassle to investigate and they don't want to make people too scared to renew) . Either way, it should go without saying that the correct course of action when finding you're breaking the law, isn't to continue doing do.
Even if the legal aspects aren't incentive enough, if you have a car accident that causes a lot of damage, your insurance will tell you that you don't have cover and you will be on the hook personally for the costs.
ANPR will ping the car number plate and check the database for the vehicles tax, mot and insurance status, as well as any alerts for the vehicle on the police database if the car is suspected of a crime, like stealing fuel.
Not who is driving and the date of there plastic licence. The police may be hopelessy feckless and embarrassing as an authority to uphold the law and order, but they wont have decided not to bother stopping someone for an expired card.
Presumably you have to be caught in the act of driving with an expired one, so just get it renewed. (edited)
Just renew and a replacement will be on the way to you (edited)
I think the validity is probably bought into question if you're ever pulled over by police or have an accident and they ask to a valid driver's license etc.
Have you been driving without a valid driver's license?