According to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, around 42,000 drivers who received penalty points last year failed to submit their driving licences and therefore had their entitlement revoked and their insurance potentially invalidated. It’s scary to think there are that many drivers out there without a valid driving licence or insurance and I dare say some of them are fleet drivers. I’m sure in many cases this is an oversight rather than a deliberate attempt to break the law but what it does mean is that the DVLA is getting much tougher.
From last month, new DVLA rules require convicted drivers to surrender their licences for points to be added within 28 days rather than within the 12 months in the previous rules. Under the old system drivers could hold on to their licence for up to a year before it was officially revoked, and the driver could show a licence with fewer points.
There are two main implications for fleets as a result of these rules. First of all, fleets should certainly be sending information to their drivers reminding them of their responsibilities and the fact that if they fail to do so they could be uninsured. Also it is a good time to be reviewing driving licence checking policies. If businesses are carrying out checks once a year, it may be worth making them more frequent as a result of the new rules.
If 42,000 drivers last year didn’t manage to submit their licences within the one year window, then logic would dictate that more drivers will miss the 28-day deadline and this is certainly something that fleets need to be mindful of.
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