HAVE YOU CHECKED? Almost ONE MILLION UK photocard driver licences have expired

Almost one million UK drivers have not renewed their expired photocard licences and could be liable to a £1,000 fine, new data has revealed.

According to new data released by the Driver and Licencing Agency (DVLA) as a result of an FOI investigation from the Press Association, it has been revealed that the driving licences of more than 926,000 people in Britain were out of date in the 12 months to the end of August.

Whilst a small percentage of these cases will cover motorists who have recently stopped driving and not told the DVLA; it still equates to over 2% of all drivers in Britain.

The same FOI also found that drivers are delaying the renewal process until the last minute. In the last 12 months, 2.5 million drivers in Britain renewed their licence after it had already expired or within 56 days of the expiry date.

Driving licence photocards must be renewed every ten years up until the age of 70, where they must be renewed every three years to legally be allowed to drive on our roads.

According to DVLA rules, failing to return an expired licence is an offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988, and this can lead to a fine of up to £1,000. If you renew it past the expiry date, you will not receive a fine.

The DVLA will contact drivers 56 days before their licence is due to expire.

The RAC urges its members to check if your driving licence photocard is up to date. In order to remain road legal, check section 4b on the front of card – this is the expiry date.

A DVLA spokesperson said: “We encourage customers to use GOV.UK as applying online is the quickest and cheapest way to renew their photocard driving licence.

“If you stop driving altogether, you should inform DVLA and return your licence rather keeping it as a form of out of date photo ID.”