New licence rules - take note!

[MalcH]

http://www.motoring.co.uk/car-news/...co.uk&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=news

New driving licence rules will come into effect in the UK on January 19th 2013. These will require newly issued licences to be produced in a format that will be harder to copy illegally. Drivers' images, as such, will be burnt by laser onto several layers. These will therefore be black and white rather than colour as with the current format. Licences will also made from polycarbonate - rather than basic plastic - so they will be light and tough. New driving licence rules will also influence what motorists can tow. According to www.gov.uk, the Category B (car and small vehicle) licence will enable motorists to have:

• small trailers weighing no more than 750kg.
• trailers weighing more than 750kg, where the combined weight of the towing vehicle and the trailer isn’t more than 3,500kg.

In contrast, Category B licences issued on or after January 1st 1997 allow drivers to have:

• a vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes or 3,500 kilograms (kg) Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM (with a combined weight of up to 4,250kg in total).
• a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as it is no more than the unladen or ‘kerb’ weight of the towing vehicle (with a combined weight of up to 3,500kg in total).

The new licence rules will also affect lorry and bus drivers. As such, www.gov.uk says: “If you pass your driving test in categories C, CE, C1, C1E, D, DE, D1 or D1E, after 19 January 2013 you’ll get a licence valid for 5 years. Every 5 years up to age 45, you’ll need to sign a declaration to show you still meet the medical standards. After age 45, you’ll need to provide a medical examination report every 5 years to renew your driving entitlement.” In contrast, the following rules will apply to those under 45 with older licences: “If you passed a driving test in one of the categories below you’ll come under the new rules when you renew your driving licence. The categories affected are C, CE, C1, C1E, D, DE, D1 or D1E. When you renew your licence, you’ll receive a licence valid for 5 years. Every time you renew you’ll need to confirm you still meet the medical standards. If you apply to replace your licence because it is lost or stolen, or your personal details have changed, your new licence will run until the end of your original period. However, if you update your photo at the same time you’ll come under the new 5-year rule.” Finally, “drivers over 45 will continue to renew their entitlement as they do now. When you renew your licence at the end of a 5-year period, you’ll need to provide a medical examination report.”

 

[MoreThanPolish]

Great news for Doctors, millions of medical checks.. cant see any good news for anyone else

 

[sweeni]

Great news for Doctors, millions of medical checks.. cant see any good news for anyone else

Perhaps so but just consider for a moment just what a driving licence allows in comparison to driving any other device.
For eg: Fork lift trucks or scissor lifts.

If you obtain a licence for these they are only for a limited period (Scissor is 5 years, FLT is unclear but HSE say "3-5" years). Why on earth should a person get a licence as a spotty teanager which will last him to old age?
I think there should be mandatory retesting every 10 years max, icl health checks. It may cut down on the number of tossers on the roads and it would definately make drivers be aware of their responsibilities. I just get so pissed off with the arrogant attitude of so many drivers and would happily see a far more stringent test being applied.

 

[MalcH]

That's true Dave but for some £30-£50 or whatever a doctor charges these days might be a bit much for some. Though it is only every five years I suppose. Nevertheless it is still going to cost folk.

 

[Murph7355]

That's true Dave but for some £30-£50 or whatever a doctor charges these days might be a bit much for some. Though it is only every five years I suppose. Nevertheless it is still going to cost folk.

If someone can't afford 10 quid a year to prove they are fit to drive, they can't afford to run a car properly (insurance for one, maintenance another).

But to Dave's point... It won't reduce tossers on the road. There are plenty enough rules and regulations broken that could remove them now, but don't. Lack of valid licenses, insurance, MOTs etc etc. The govt should focus on policing these properly before introducing new money generating bull****ly applied regs.

 

[F328NVL]

If someone can't afford 10 quid a year to prove they are fit to drive, they can't afford to run a car properly (insurance for one, maintenance another).

But to Dave's point... It won't reduce tossers on the road. There are plenty enough rules and regulations broken that could remove them now, but don't. Lack of valid licenses, insurance, MOTs etc etc. The govt should focus on policing these properly before introducing new money generating bull****ly applied regs.

Is bull****ly a real word, or did you Makeitthefeckup?

I just paid £89 for a new passport which I can afford, but don't really understand why it is separately charged. Isn't this something general taxation should cover? Don't I have some right to travel freely, either across borders or down the road? These are just taxes through the back door, and it seems that the back door is where our elected leaders intend to stuff most things these days.

 

[Murph7355]

Is bull****ly a real word, or did you Makeitthefeckup?

I just paid £89 for a new passport which I can afford, but don't really understand why it is separately charged. Isn't this something general taxation should cover? Don't I have some right to travel freely, either across borders or down the road? These are just taxes through the back door, and it seems that the back door is where our elected leaders intend to stuff most things these days.

I've applied for it to be added to the OED.

I'm more than happy for things like this to be a direct and separate charge. Govt taxes should be used for essential services only IMO and the size of govt shrunk to a minimum. Sadly this is never in a govt's interests.

As for travelling freely, it's initially other countries who will prevent you travelling without a passport. And then this one when you try to get back in