Carrying Driving Licence in UK

[brokencross]

Heard a radio interview about a chap who was stopped in his car and detained for not having his driving licence on him. (Don't know if he had any other ID on him, so that may have been the reason). I always thought it was NOT a requirement to carry your licence with you when driving, but if requested by a police officer you had to produce it at a police station within 5 days.

I can't find a definitive answer anywhere. It says before you can drive you must hold the appropriate licence but no must carry or not info.

Any Orgers help please?

[dx100uk]

it is not a requirement, though carrying 'some' kind of ID is ofcourse a good idea


dx

[theone]

You don't have to carry a driving licence.

I suspect, as you did, that he wasn't carrying any other ID, even a bank card, and the police doubted his identity.

I know someone who borrowed a mates car, uninsured, then got stopped by the police. He gave his friends name address and date of birth. He got away with it.

The police were probably making sure this wasn't the case here.

[brokencross]

Thanks for that! You have confirmed what I thought.

I only carry mine when I am going on holiday elsewhere in the UK, so I don't have to dash all the way back home if I have to produce it for any reason.

[*Martin*]

Just so you know, if you do get stopped elsewhere in the UK you can hand your documents in at your local police station!

[Julia]

I carry mine all the time but mainly as it's a small card and fits easily in my purse, I never carried my paper licence at all.

I think a lot of licence holders are unaware that the photo has to be changed every ten years or a £1000 fine will be issued. Do the DVLA inform licence holders when the ten years is up?

[Angela]

I carry mine all the time but mainly as it's a small card and fits easily in my purse, I never carried my paper licence at all.

I think a lot of licence holders are unaware that the photo has to be changed every ten years or a £1000 fine will be issued. Do the DVLA inform licence holders when the ten years is up?

Like you Julia, I carry mine in my wallet as it fits easily and it's useful ID to boot. I don't carry the accompanying piece of paper at all.

Cullpacket has started a new thread on the very subject of needing to renew photocards. I had no idea that this was the case -and that you had to pay for them! - and from what cullpacket is saying, it seems as if the DVLA don't send out reminders.

[Valerie Campbell]

It's daft though. Those of us with a photo card also have the paper part, as mentioned, whereas before it was just the paper licence, so instead of cutting down on paperwork, the DVLA have created more! The photo card should be enough I reckon. I keep both in my handbag but the paper is slowly but surely being damaged.

[bothyman]

I still have just my paper licence never bothered getting the photo one.

And no one has ever told me I should have a photo one so I'm not bothering to get one.??

Do you have to pay for the photo one, besides paying for the photographs ??

[devil's sidekick]

you hand your documents in at your local police station with in 7 days.

[AfternoonDelight]

It's daft though. Those of us with a photo card also have the paper part, as mentioned, whereas before it was just the paper licence, so instead of cutting down on paperwork, the DVLA have created more! The photo card should be enough I reckon. I keep both in my handbag but the paper is slowly but surely being damaged.

The paper bit is for recording your points (I should know!)...

[Nivelo]

I would also note that police can seize your vehicle if you don't have the appropriate driving license or Insurance. You get the car towed away and have to pay for the car being towed then a daily storage fee until you can prove that you are insured with correct license before you get your car back. You only get 2 weeks or the car gets crushed.
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/police/.../road-traffic/

[Kodiak]

It clearly states that you have Seven (7) days to produce your Documents at a Police Station.

When pulled over by the police, you may be asked to produce documents including:

• driving licence
• insurance certificate
• vehicle registration document

If you don’t have these with you, you’ll be given seven days to produce them at a police station.

So not as you worded your post and the Police will not tow away your car if you can not produce your Documents there and then, you will get seven (7) Days.

[JAWS]

I don't know if the police have automatic access to Driving Licence details. I know they do for Insurance and MOT details.

One driver was stopped from driving and his car was impounded for him allegedly having no insurance. He had, it turned out that the Insurance Company had slipped up and missed entering the details. It was sorted in the end and the Insurance Company reimbursed him.
As is well known, if it says it on the computer then it must be correct, computers are never wrong!

The tendency now is to arrest people where ever possible, especially south of the Border, for suspected offences however minor they are, that was they can add as many as possible to the DNA Database without having to bother passing a law making it compulsory.

I think that up here, north of the Border, the DNA sample is (supposedly) destroyed if you are not convicted of the offence.
England are currently fighting the Court of Human Rights who say they should do the same.

[JAWS]

So not as you worded your post and the Police will not tow away your car if you can not produce your Documents there and then, you will get seven (7) Days.

All that does is give you time to show that you do have the correct documentation without being subjected to prosecution.
It is done for no other reason than to prevent the court system being cluttered up with prosecutions which will eventually be thrown out at court when the correct documents are produced there.

I is up to the person using the vehicle to prove that they have all the correct documentation and until you can do that the presumption is that you committing an offence.

The presumption of being innocent until proven guilty is reversed in most cases when it comes to motoring offences.

[dessie]

it used to be 5 days to hand in identification some yrs ago...

[dx100uk]

FYI:
the 7 day wonder or producer or HORT1, is, in most stop instances, now obsolete.
as already mentioned, checks on ins/tax/mot are done now by anpr which is fitted or is readily available to most police officers via radio/phone - instantly.

typically they already know if you have all three [or not] by the time they have pulled you over.

the licence check is then done via radio/phone once driver details are established.

they now have the power to seize the vehicle instantly if you dont have them.
which leads to the above storage costs [£105 + £12 per day to a maximum 14days, then its the crusher!]

in exceptional circumstances a producer will be given for mot/lic but very rarely for ins & def not for licence! they no longer allow you to drive away an uninsured vehicle, though again in certain circumstances they may allow your own recovery, but this must be a atleast a two wheel raise.

as for carrying the required docs, there is no actual need as this is now checked instantly as described above.

it is not a case of guilty until you prove otherwise...they know thanks to the national databases. the only one they dont know instantly is licence, unti lthey have your details

dx

[JAWS]

That is assuming the database is up to date and contains the correct information and also that the information is passed on correctly.

If your vehicle is impounded and you can later show that you have committed no offence regarding your documents you still have to pay well in excess of £100 to get your vehicle back.

As I said previously, guilty until you can prove yourself innocent, at great expense.

[dx100uk]

believe you me
its upto date.
just ask any motor insurer!

and no, you dont have to pay the pound fees if they are wrong.
but ofcourse they wouldn't of seized the car in the first place if they were.

dx

nuff said

[Fran]

The police have access to your driving licence etc on their computer so they can tell how many points you have. In fact they can get all sorts of details about you from your car number plate.