Important news if you’re going to drive abroad this summer

COLCHESTER, U.K. - June 29, 2015 - PRLog -- The John Austin VW and Audi garage in Marks Tey, Colchester (www.johnaustin.co.uk) has been warning its customers about the possible downsides of the abolition of the paper counterpart of the driving licence, thought you might find it useful too. Please pass this on…

You may already know that, from 8^th June 2015, the paper counterpart of your driving licence was abolished. Now all your details will be accessible online. This move is part of the Government’s promise to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and save drivers money into the bargain. (It’s estimated that 445,000 counterparts had to be replaced in 2014 at a cost of £20 to each driver.)

This is great news if, like many of us (or is it just me?), you put the counterpart somewhere very safe, but you have no idea where. It’s bad news though, if you’re going on holiday and planning on hiring a car. What the car hire company knows and doesn’t know won’t be a problem for them but it could be for you. They may ask to see the counterpart, but what they really need is a check code. This code will enable third parties to access your details through the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), but this code is only valid for three days, then it expires. Drivers still need to keep their actual driving licence, whether it is a plastic photocard licence or an old style paper licence which was issued before 1998. Concerned? You needn’t be. The Press Association has compiled a series of questions and answers to help us get to grips with how this legislation works and affects drivers in Great Britain. I’d like to share this with you… before you go on holiday!

Q: What exactly is happening?

A: From June 8 the paper counterpart to the photocard driving licence is being scrapped and replaced by an online service. The counterpart includes information on a driver’s penalty points along with details of what vehicles they can drive.

Q. So what is replacing it?

A. Drivers can view their licence information online and can generate a check code to share details with third parties by logging on to www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence.
The check code can, for example, be shared with an employer or a car hire company. It will allow someone to see what vehicles you can drive, any penalty points or disqualifications, your name and the last eight characters of your driving licence number.

Q. Why is the change being introduced?

A. It is all part of the Government’s drive to reduce unnecessary red tape.

Q. Why are motoring groups so anxious about the change?

A. They think car hire companies, particularly those abroad, that need to check a driver’s record will be unaware of the change. Not all drivers need to show details of their driving record when renting vehicles, but an AA/Populus survey showed that more than a third of drivers who have hired a car abroad in the past five years have been asked to show their paper counterpart. (Recovery company GEM Motoring Assist fears that queues could build up at car hire offices while a survey from money.co.uk showed that nearly three quarters of drivers were unaware of the need to produce a code when renting vehicles.)

Q. What does the DVLA say about all this?

A. They reckon car rental companies will be well aware of the change and they advise drivers to check with their hire company about what documents and information they require.

Q. Should people keep the old paper counterpart?


A. Well, the DVLA says no, but the AA says it is best to hold on to it and take it abroad as a “belt and braces” measure.

Q. Just how many people are affected by the change?

A. There are 46.3 million driving licence holders in Britain of whom 37.7 million have a photocard driving licence. A total of 8.7 million have an old-style paper licence issued before 1998, which remain valid.

Speaking about this change, Transport Minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon said: “It will also benefit employers and vehicle hire companies. Relying on the counterpart meant relying on a potentially out of date piece of paper. Now, when the driver chooses to share it, those organisations will be able to see completely accurate information direct from DVLA’s records. This will reduce their risk and improve road safety.”

The paper counterpart includes information on a driver’s penalty points along with details of what vehicles they can drive.

Explaining the new system Oliver Morley, Chief Executive of DVLA, said:

“It’s very easy to view and share your driving record. Just go to GOV.UK and search for ‘view driving licence’. You can view your information electronically and generate a check code which you can then share with people who need to see your details (such as an employer or car hire company). If you want to, you can also download and print a summary.”

More information on all the changes can be found on GOV.UK – search for ‘no more counterpart’.

Useful links

Drivers can view their driving licence information online and generate a check code to share details with third parties at www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence.

Third parties can redeem the check code at www.gov.uk/check-driving-licence.

The changes apply to GB driving licences only. Driver licensing is a devolved issue in Northern Ireland.