DVLA issues warning to drivers turning 70 this summer 'respond' or risk £1K fine
Drivers who are reaching the milestone must act if they want to keep motoring
The DVLA has warned drivers who are set to turn 70 this summer that they will receive an important letter soon that they must act on. Failure to do so could see them landed with a fine of up to £1,000.
All drivers turning 70 are required to renew their driving licence and those that have birthdays in the summer months can expect notification of this renewal through their letter boxes soon. Motorists who fail to fill out the crucial paperwork will no longer be legal to drive their vehicles.
The DVLA, which maintains records of all drivers and vehicles in the UK, posted on X, formerly Twitter, to remind those older drivers of the rules.
Drivers have to renew their licences every ten years until they reach the age of 70. Thereafter, they must renew every three years.
And the post assured motorists that they could easily apply for the renewal online, but that they would also be notified by post if they are turning 70 in the next few months.
They said: "Know someone who has just turned 70? Let them know they can renew their driving licence online. It's easy, quick and secure. Applications can be made on the gov.uk website.
Drivers approaching their 70th birthday now must follow this even if they're not reaching the age for the next 90 days.
If you apply online, you should have the new document within a week, they say.
And you can change your photo at the same time. Drivers will need to provide an email address, the addresses of where you've lived for the last three years, a National Insurance number and a valid UK passport number if you want to change your photo.
However, for those that don't want to apply online, the DVLA said they will be sent a D46P form 90 days before your birthday.
And if, for any reason, that doesn't land on your mat, you can use a D1 form from the Post Office to apply instead.
Postal applications can take around 3 weeks for your licence to arrive. That can be longer if the DVLA need to check medical records.
You do have to send your existing licence back to the DVLA while renewing, but you can still continue to drive if you meet all of these conditions:
you have the support of your doctor to continue driving
you had a valid licence
you only drive under the conditions of the previous licence
your application is less than a year old
your last licence wasn't revoked or refused for medical reasons
you're not currently disqualified
you weren't disqualified as a high risk offender on or after 1 June 2013
Renewing a C1 (medium-sized vehicles) or a D1 (minubus) entitlement must be done by post and cannot be done online.
The Older Drivers' Forum warned motorists approaching 70 to act. They said: "If you do not renew your licence, you will not legally be allowed to drive after your 70th birthday.
"If you carry on driving, your driving licence and motor insurance would not be valid, and you would be committing a serious offence which carries stringent penalties, which could include a heavy fine and having your car seized by the police."
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