Tag Archives: driving licence

women drivers

Letting down other women drivers

wallofshameIt’s about time we named and shamed the motoring offenders the DVLA is failing to keep on top of. We’d be happy to ‘out’ them at our website, for example, because otherwise there seems no incentive for regular offenders to stop driving when they’re banned (or uninsured…).

In this instance I’m talking about the points that licence holders are accumulating and the fact that a woman from Isleworth in West London was able to continue driving with a total of 42 penalty points last year, according to the latest figures from the DVLA.

Granted these were all for failing to disclose the identity of the driver (between 26 May and 21 December 2012) one wonders how the police let her go without knowing who she was or where she lived…

The second-highest points total, 36, went to a man from Warrington, Cheshire, who was caught driving without insurance six times in less than two weeks, between 20 February and 2 March 2012.

Other notable offenders include:

+ A man from Southend-on-Sea with 30 points, who was caught speeding ten times between 14 March 2011 and 3 August 2012.

+ A man from Blackburn with 29 points, who was caught speeding eight times in two months, between 29 September 2011 and 29 November 2011.

+ A man from Pevensey, East Sussex, with 24 points who was caught speeding six times in just two weeks, between 30 September and 13 October 2012.

Failing to give the identity of the owner, speeding, and driving uninsured are the most common reasons for points.

To be fair on our gender, of the top twenty licence-points holders, 90% are men.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “It’s really disappointing to see that this issue has not yet been resolved. DVLA and the Courts Service are upgrading their computer systems to ensure that offence information is shared more efficiently, but this is not due to be in place until October. When drivers with ten speeding offences are getting away with holding a licence, these improvements cannot come quickly enough. The IAM has no sympathy for owners who refuse to reveal the identity of the driver, and we would welcome an urgent consultation on new ways to deal with this problem. Drivers must expect that 12 points means a ban or the whole system falls into disrepute.”

FOXY has no sympathy for women who let the rest of their gender down in this way. We get enough criticism as it is. The law should be the law in that 12 points means a driving ban.

FOXY

cost of motoring

Is your driving licence up to date?

…in case Inspector Clouseau checks
Updating your driving licence is a vital legal requirement, Victoria Ford of the DVLA reminds us, and if it isn’t, you could face a fine of £1,000.

The DVLA started issuing photo-card licences 15 years ago and more than 30 million drivers have one now. They’re usually valid for 10 years and there is a legal requirement for drivers to renew the photograph at the same time as they renew their licence.

However, two million drivers have failed to do this and could be fined up to £1,000 if stopped by the police, who then discover that the photo and licence is out of date.

Even failing to notify the DVLA that you have changed address could be costly and Victoria Ford from the DVLA explains why this is so.

Victoria Ford from the DVLA

“Appearances can change and it is important that photo-card licences are updated every 10 years to ensure the police and other enforcement agencies have the best possible photograph to help them correctly identify whether a driving licence is being used fraudulently.” she says adding…

“This also helps prevent driving licence impersonation – stopping disqualified and perhaps dangerous drivers taking to our roads.”

To be absolutely clear here, if you change your address or name, you have to tell the DVLA, so that your driving licence and car registration details can be updated.

Apparently the DVLA sends letters to drivers whose licences are about to expire but the onus is still on you to keep your card and records up to date even if this reminder doesn’t reach you or goes astray.

As you might expect there is a small charge involved for renewing your licence – it costs £20 but if you are merely updating your address, your new licence will be free.

Best to check that your licence is up to date and that the address on it is correct. Both are clearly stated on the card itself.

FOXY