MSE News: Driving licence warning: Keep it up to date or face £1,000 fine

Johnmcl7

worried123 wrote: »

£1,000 fine is outrageous......and people who repeatedly commit `real` crime and anti social behaviour just get a slap on the wrist apparently.

Drivers are penalised sooo much....I call at addresses all day with my work and if I am gone just a short while past my ticket expiry I will get a fine every single time........(doing government surveys by the way) and the fines arent cheap and they come out of my pocket.

I know there has to be law and order but I think that decent law abiding citizens are just targeted far too much.....fine criminals and those engaged in anti social behaviour £1,000....

It has reached a stage where being a driver is soo stressful....`park here and you will die`.......`no return in 6 hours or you will be shot`..........`leave your car here and it will be crushed`........

My car was broken into whilst working and it also had a parking fine on the windscreen......I would hope this wasnt put there after the car had been broken into.......my purse and driving license was stolen and it cost me £20 to have replaced....

Sorry - i know that i sound like victor meldrew

The £1,000 fine is largely scaremongering, it's the statutory maximum that a court could apply if someone was convicted the offence but in reality because it's a means test fine, only very high earners could be facing such a high fine.

For example, a number plate offence also carries a maximum penalty of £1,000 but if you're caught you're likely to face a £60 fixed penalty notice (non means-tested).

MSE should be ashamed of themselves for having such tabloid style headlines and presentation when they should know fine the reality is drivers are not facing £1,000 fines at all.

John

Strider590

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

The £1,000 fine is largely scaremongering, it's the statutory maximum that a court could apply if someone was convicted the offence but in reality because it's a means test fine, only very high earners could be facing such a high fine.

For example, a number plate offence also carries a maximum penalty of £1,000 but if you're caught you're likely to face a £60 fixed penalty notice (non means-tested).

MSE should be ashamed of themselves for having such tabloid style headlines and presentation when they should know fine the reality is drivers are not facing £1,000 fines at all.

John

Actually it's not the courts that fine you, it's the DVLA. They have no right to do so, but they use the threat of a large fine, to fine you considerably less. It's like a school bully threatening to tell the teachers you tried to set off the fire alarm, if you don't give him your lunch money.

Whatever that fine is, it's right to warn people, because the DVLA are a bunch of underhand money grabbing bullies and for every person that avoids being fined because of advice like this, it's a win in the battle against this vile organisation, one which operates using the govt as a shield to hide under, it hits them where it hurts, in the pocket.

Not only this, but they go after "soft" targets, people they can easily trace/track, British born citizens, they don't go after the scum of the earth that drive about using fake names, fake or foreign plates, fake disabled badges, no tax, no insurance, no UK driving license (not all of the above, but a mixed combination of) and who often hide under the laws intended to protect vulnerable minorities from persecution and abuse in this country.

I said this in another post, but if the DVLA was a private company with no protection from the govt, they'd have been shutdown by trading standards decades ago.

Johnmcl7

It would still be courts that fine you at that level and there's no way they're going to dish out £1,000 fines to everyone (nor likely anyone bar those who are particularly well off), the fine from DVLA would be in place of going to the courts or to settle out of court once it has progressed past the initial stage. There's no way the DVLA are going to start sending out automatic £1,000 fines. And anyway I seriously doubt even one person will be fined £1,000 never mind a possibility that all drivers face it hence I think it's very wrong for a site like this to claim drivers are facing huge fines when they're not, such scaremongering just suggests ignorance by the authors.

As a different example, the failure to declare SORN carries massive maximum fines as well but I've yet to see anyone be fined at anywhere near that level in the first instance without the offer of an automatic fine but still not at anywhere near that level at further instances either.

If the author of the MSE article can prove drivers are regularly facing £1,000 fines for not updating their license photo at the first instance, then fair enough but we both know that isn't the case at all and never will be (at least not until inflation means £1,000 is equivalent to £80 or so now).

John

Rover_Driver

Strider590 wrote: »

Actually it's not the courts that fine you, it's the DVLA.

It is only a court that can issue a fine.
What the DVLA do is to make an out of court settlement offer, if you accept the offer and pay it, they will not prosecute for the offence.

gadgetmind

My battered old paper driving licence is now a treasured possession that only leaves my safe when I'm flying off somewhere and I'm going to have to hire a car.

I always fold and unfold it myself as it's starting to lose structural integrity in a big way!

Strider590

Rover_Driver wrote: »

It is only a court that can issue a fine.
What the DVLA do is to make an out of court settlement offer, if you accept the offer and pay it, they will not prosecute for the offence.

That's what I said......... Whether term "fine" is used or not, they're still saying "pay us or we'll tell the law you've been naughty", its blackmail and extortion all rolled into one unhappy package.

Aretnap

While the DVLA do offer "out of court settlements" for no tax, failure to notify change of keeper etc I've never heard of them doing it for failing to update a driving licence address. That's something which is theoretically enforced by the police. In practice the police have better things to do than chase people for not updating their licences and it's rare for anyone to be prosecuted for it. When they are it's usually because they've done some other naughty things as well... which is how it tends to come to light.

I was in a friend's car some time ago when he was stopped for a broken tail light. The cop noticed that the address on his licence was different to the one he told him - he'd not got round to updating it. He said "get it updated" and that was that.

As Johnmcl7 says £1000 is the maximum fine, much as the maximum fine for driving without insurance or common assault is £5000. I'm willing to place a small bet that nobody has ever actually been fined £1000.

Aretnap

Igotothefootofourstairs wrote: »

I calculated it on the basis firstly HMS does not require a "stamp"

Of course they don't. It's well know that HMS (whoever they might be, do you mean HMG?) have magic teleportation powers which allow letters to be delivered to any address in the country at no cost whatsoever.

and the photo YOU supply is merely scanned into a government main frame computer and the reprinted on already mass produced driving licence blank paper with your data base info already compiled.

The cost will include the cost of installing and maintaining the mainframe computer which deals with photocards (no idea what this is, but it will be significant, divided by the number of renewals.

sarahg1969

My photocard expired in August 2011. Since then I've hired vehicles, had a conference call with the dvla and it's been seen by the police. No pressure from any of them.

Rover_Driver

Strider590 wrote: »

That's what I said......... Whether term "fine" is used or not, they're still saying "pay us or we'll tell the law you've been naughty", its blackmail and extortion all rolled into one unhappy package.

Not really, it is the same as a police fixed penalty - if you accept that you are guilty it is a way of dealing with the matter without a court case. If you are not guilty and don't accept their offer, they can proceed to court where you can defend yourself.