Drivers turning 70-years-old warned to take action to avoid risking fines of up to £5,000
MOTORISTS have been warned to renew their licence when they turn 70 to avoid risk of being fined.
The rule will require drivers at 70 to renew their licence every three years with a penalty of community service or even six months in prison.
Charity Age UK gave further details in a blog post.
They wrote: “When you reach the age of 70, your driving licence expires – but this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to stop driving.
“If you want to continue, you just need to renew your licence. You’ll need to renew it every three years after that. Renewal is free of charge.”
If motorists are spotted without a licence they could be slapped with a brutal £5,000 fine.
Luckily DVLA will send out a reminder as you approach your 70th birthday and every three years thereafter.
To make sure you’re not at risk of a penalty make sure to fill in the form as quickly as possible with a photo and all the necessary details.
A D46P application form will arrive in the post from the DVLA and have the return address on the document.
Once this is posted off it should take around three weeks to get put through the system.
Those looking to save time can also apply online.
For the online form, you’ll need an email address, your home addresses from the last three years, your National Insurance number and a UK passport number.
Age UK also reminds drivers who use different vehicles, like campervans or minibuses, to apply for the licence specific to what you drive.
The post continued: “There might be extra costs for these, but if you don’t apply for these extra categories, you’ll only be able to drive a car in future.”
It’s perfectly safe to hit the roads while your licence is in the process of being renewed, but if it’s expired you might run into trouble.
You can avoid this by making sure to renew your licence before it expires.
The DVLA should be in contact before this happens but make sure to keep an eye on your expiry date just in case.
Rules about licences after you turn 70
You will need to renew your British driving license if you’re 70 or over, or will be 70 in the next 90 days
Once you reach 70, you must renew your license every three years
To renew your license is completely free
Around three months before you are due to renew the DVLA should contact you
They will post a form which you can sign and send back – this will take around three weeks
Alternatively you can renew online which may be quicker
If you would like to, you can change the photograph at the same time
Failure to renew your license could lead to severe penalties, including a £5,000 fine