MILLIONS of Brits born in a specific year have been warned that they have to act now or risk falling foul of a little-known driving law.
A milestone birthday will put motorists on the radar of the DVLA, requiring them to jump through hoops or else be banned from the road.
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Every year, thousands of eager teens get their first taste of adulthood as they gain the right to drive unsupervised.
But many of these fresh-faced, newly-minted motorists might not realise that their hard-earned licences aren’t actually for life.
Most licences last for ten years before they have to be renewed to allow the DVLA to keep its records up to date.
But what’s often forgotten is that your licence also automatically expires when you turn 70, regardless of where you are in the renewal cycle.
Even if you were to renew at 69, it would only last a year before becoming invalid.
Failure to realise this could see you pulled over for driving with an expired licence.
Even if done inadvertently, this offence still carries a penalty of a £1,000 fine and six licence points.
The rule comes into force on a rolling basis, so drivers born in 1954 will see their licences expire on their birthdays this year.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the road as you can still drive beyond your 70th if you take early action.
OAPs simply have to manually renew their licences with the DVLA ahead of time.
The new licence won’t look any different from the old one, but it will be classed as an over-70s licence, meaning the renewal cycle is shortened from 10 years to three.
You won’t have to take a new test, but it simply means that the DVLA is able to check you meet the health and eyesight standards to drive more frequently.
A spokesperson for Age UK warned: “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.
“Renewal is free of charge.
“Don’t forget to apply for any extra categories of vehicle covered on your old licence if you still want to be able to drive them.”
You can perform your renewal for free on the DVLA’s website up to 90 days before your birthday.
Just make sure that you disclose any medical condition which might impair your driving ability and familiarise yourself with the agency’s list of conditions that prohibit you from getting a licence.
