New Year’s Resolution – check your driving licence!!
Here is a great New Year’s resolution that takes only a few seconds to complete and could save you a lot of money and hassle…. If you have a photocard driving licence then did you know that they have to be renewed every 10 years? You can be fined up to £1,000 for having an out-of-date photocard licence and it could possibly affect your insurance cover too. The expiry date is listed in section 4b on the photocard licence so get your card and check it now!
DVLA states that it sends out reminders to drivers about photocard licences due to expire but it is estimated that there are currently over 2 million drivers whose photocard licence is out of date! So why does it have to be renewed? The official explanation for the requirement to renew every 10 years is:
“The appearance of the holder will change over that period of time and the requirement is that the photo must be a true likeness…. it is essential for the police and other enforcement agencies to have the clearest and identifiable image so that fraudulent usage is not being undertaken. The ten-year expiry also ensures that the holder has all of the latest security features that will protect against fraudulent use.”
It costs £14 to renew online and DVLA states that it typically takes a week to process and send out the new photocard. DVLA will get the photo and signature for your new driving licence from your passport. If you do not have a current passport then you will have to apply by post or at a Post Office instead.
You should also ensure that your name and address are listed correctly, as again you could be fined up to £1,000 if these are incorrect. For example, a survey by Direct Line found that 3% of married women had an out-of-date name on their licence. There is no charge to change name or address details.
On-line application and further information is available at the official www.gov.uk website – please make sure you don’t inadvertently use a bogus website!
We have worked with Safewell for many years and are retained clients, so we have developed an excellent working relationship with the team. However, this really came into its own when Covid 19 appeared.
As a Plumbing and Heating business, we were able to carry on working during the lockdown but only for responding to emergencies. We were obviously very concerned about the health and safety of our employees and before we even had chance to get in touch with Safewell, they had emailed us offering their assistance. It is hard to put down on paper how that made us feel - we like everyone else felt totally at sea, which way to turn, what to do? But Safewell were there guiding, supporting and being totally brilliant. Their attention to detail is very impressive and reassuring and we feel able to ask lots of questions without feeling silly.
During the pandemic Safewell helped us to write risk assessments, safety procedures and protocols. They kept in touch regularly, issuing new guidance as soon as it appeared and checking in with us. They held group Q&A sessions over Zoom which were helpful, and knowing other businesses were facing the same challenges and having the opportunity to discuss issues was invaluable. Their help during the preparation for a full return to work was brilliant, they enabled us to be fully prepared and feel in control, and when we had our first case of Covid within the team, because we had planned our response it felt ok.
I think our team felt very reassured by our robust approach and that our office was Covid secure. We are extremely grateful to all the team at Safewell
