Car hire concerns as driving licence counterparts abolished
The paper counterpart of the driving licence for motorists in Scotland, England and Wales is abolished from today, 8 June, but the car hire industry is concerned that the public has not been well enough alerted to the change and what it means.
From today, new penalty points endorsed on a licence will only be recorded electronically, and will not be printed or written on either photocard licences or paper driving licences, so the paper licence will no longer provide an accurate record of any endorsements.
Anyone hiring a car may now have to produce a temporary code to enable the hire company to confirm whether they have any points on their licence. The code is only valid for 72 hours, raising fears that people wanting to hire a car while on holiday abroad may face unexpected difficulties, but the DVLA insists that the process should be no more difficult than logging onto the internet to obtain an airline boarding pass.
The code is not an official requirement, and whether one will be needed will depend on the hire company. Those intending to hire a car have been advised to check with their hire company in advance.
A similar process will apply to employers or others who need to check an individual's licence.
The AA has advised motorists to hold on to their paper counterparts, even though they are no longer valid, in case some hire companies are not yet up to speed with the new system.
A recent survey by the website money.co.uk suggests that 79% of UK drivers are expected to turn up with the wrong documentation when hiring a car abroad this summer.
Car hire companies have accused the DVLA of “rushing in” the changes and giving them insufficient time to prepare, but the DVLA said it had been working on the system for months. It follows the “Red Tape Challenge” consultation on road transportation.
People who cannot generate a code online can call 0300 083 0013 and DVLA will provide them with a code. This service is available from 8am to 7pm on weekdays and 8am to 2pm on Saturdays. Alternatively they can call DVLA on 0300 790 6801 and leave permission for their driving record to be checked verbally by a nominated person/organisation.
The DVLA website has a step-by-step guide to the process. By entering their driving licence number, national insurance number and postcode, drivers can access their current licence information and opt to share it with another person. They can then create a unique check code, valid for 72 hours, which will permit the other person to check their details.
The site advises (ungrammatically): “Your paper counterpart remains valid until 8 June 2015, after this date it should be destroyed.”