When I was first told photo-card licences are only valid for 10 years I couldn’t believe it. I even immediately retrieved my own from my wallet and checked.
Sure enough it runs out next year and despite having moved house in the past three years and having my current address on it, the expiry date hadn’t changed. The reason, of course, is that when I moved house I didn’t have to change my picture.
If drivers aren’t warned to expect a reminder from the DVLA to renew then it won’t be hard to imagine a proportion of people ignoring the letter and then accidentally end up driving illegally – landing the business car manager with yet more admin and possibly health and safety trouble.
What annoys me most is the lack of joined-up thinking from the DVLA. If there was a little more thought put into this then a host of savings could be made.
If drivers where encouraged to update their pictures for free when they changed any other details, rather than the current £17.50 when it expires, then the DVLA’s admin burden could also be cut.