Be careful renewing your licence at 70.

Tco

Guest
90 days before your 70th birthday the DVLA will send you a form to fill in to obtain your over 70 licence. Be aware that if you return the form immediately (like I did) you will lose any entitlements to drive groups that fall outside your over 70 classes. For example I had C and C+E entitlements which I expected to last until my birthday (14th November). My new licence has arrived today and these entitlements have been taken off me IMMEDIATELY!
I contacted the DVLA and they said that this was standard practice and it was my fault for renewing so soon. Now the new licence has been issued nothing can be done about it. You cannot wait until your 70th birthday as you will lose your entire licence if you do that.

Just be careful when you renew if you wish to retain any entitlements until the latest legal date.

Tco
 
Firstly TCO, I am sorry to learn of your misfortune.

I am pretty sure this subject has been covered before, But for Motorhomers particularly and any tuggers it is important you retain your entitlements.

My understanding is that on licence renewal, you will be issued with a current regulation licence i;e the 3500 kgs combined limit which applies today and indeed for anyone that passed their test after 1st JAN 1997.

You need to state to DVLC you wish to retain your entitlements and I believe somewhere the medical at the doctors will substantiate under normal circumstances your retainment of entitlement.

Channa
 
Channa

I was perfectly expecting to relinquish my class C entitlements at 70. It came as a surprise to learn, because I dealt with the matter expiditiously that I lost them immediately. I expected that those classes would still appear on my licence but with an expiry date conicident with my 70th birthday.

Still it is done now and as the woman at the DVLA said "Thems the rules". Just don't renew your licence too early.
 
There is something wrong with this.

In law, you would not routinely lose a driving category until your 70th birthday. You didn't ask DVLA to removed the categories, so, by what legal authority did take it upon themselves to do so?

Is there ANY way you could keep the categories until your 70th birthday and still run your licence continuously through age 70?

Thems the rules. Perhaps, but is it the law? It would by no means be the first time I have been given wrong information by their officers.



Polly
 
I've got two years to go before my 70th, so this thread is very informative, thanks. However, I caught a snippet on the radio yesterday that they are thinking of introducing having to take a mandatory driving test again at 70, now if it works like the motorcycle test the examiner will be out to fail not pass. It's all about getting vehicles off the road.
 
Sorry to hear that TCO.

Don't we just love bureaucracy and all the 'job's worths' that enforce it?

'Them's the rules' AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !
 
Polik

In law, you would not routinely lose a driving category until your 70th birthday. You didn't ask DVLA to removed the categories, so, by what legal authority did take it upon themselves to do so?
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There is no way to avoid some loss. I made the mistake of renewing as soon as I got the reminder. They say that it takes ten days to process the application, in my case it took considerably less. So you have to judge the point at which you apply. Too early and you lose entitlements like I have for up to three months before the due date. Apply on your 70th and technically you cannot drive at all until your new licence arrives.

A few days early and you should be OK. I suppose a few days is no great loss in the scheme of things, but ten weeks came as a complete surprise. Knowing that many MHers are of a similar age to me I thought I would give a heads up in case it materially affects one of you.

All this information was given to me by the very nice polite lady at DVLA. The only point she got a bit wary with me was when I suggested waiting until I was 70 before renewing. The only way I could get the missing classes restored was to undergo a medical and then that would take another two/three weeks to administer. I've decided to accept my losses but warn any others who may face the same problem.
 
Amazingly enough the DVLA don't have any records of who passed what test prior to 1997. it's important to keep a copy of the paper one if you still have it.
 
grandfather rights

surely you still keep grandfather rights from old licence
I kept most of mine but had to do medical.do not send original paper licence back
send a copy.

Tony
 
licence

Trippytinker said:
Amazingly enough the DVLA don't have any records of who passed what test prior to 1997. it's important to keep a copy of the paper one if you still have it.
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Hi. Trippytinker, I have just renewed my licence with no bother i had to have a medical wich i have to have for the last 4 years as i am 74. and i get all the categorys i have held since i was 23 wich are a. b. c. ce. c1e.d.de.d1ef. k. i. n. p. h. i can not unerstand were they are coming from it dose not sound right some how. i am very sorry for you the way it as turnd out.

walter.:confused::confused::confused::confused:
 
Grandfather rights.

Hi Tony, Yes I had my Grandfather rights ( I passed my test in 1958). I was happy to let my 7.5t licence go, couldn't be bothered with medical etc. My complaint was that they took away me GR immediately three months before time. By the way when you renew, you are obliged to send back both your picture licence and the paper portion (both cut in half).
 
Reading through some of the posts, in respect of Grandfather rights, I have had a thought.Especially in respect of the 7.5 tonne limit.

On renewal the limit that can be driven is 3500 kgs, if my understanding is correct.

We have all read storieswhere vehicles have been overweight and I dare say on occasion inadvertently.

If you were to be stopped and overweight, Is there a chance that you could be prosecuted for not having licence entitlement as well as being overweight ?

Perhaos it is worth retaining all the categories you can ?

Channa
 
Free ski pass at 70 !

Hey and don't forget you often get a free ski pass at 70 so it's not all doom and gloom!
 
fairytooth said:
Hey and don't forget you often get a free ski pass at 70 so it's not all doom and gloom!
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As you say not all doom and gloom, sadly I don't ski, but a free chairlift ride in the summer would be appreciated.:lol-053:
 
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