If you have a car (class 1) or motorbike (class 6) licence there are new time limits being introduced from 1 December 2014 and a newly designed licence. The class 1 and class 6 learner and restricted licences will be valid for only 5 years for drivers under 75 years old. The new licence designs are similar to the EU licence with the rear of the licence displaying simple icons to show the classes of licence held and the expiry date of each licence which will help overseas authorities if you use your licence when you travel abroad.
The front of the card still contains identity information but it is laid out in an easy-to-read format removing the need to look at the back of the card to decipher the information.
Drivers can optionally supply their address for inclusion on the card, although we think this is a bad idea because it gives criminals too much information about you if your licence is stolen, and if you use your licence as a form of ID, the person checking the ID knows at that moment that you are not at home.
Licence classes and endorsements are now shown on the rear of the card along with the conditions under which the licence holder can drive (for example, only with an automatic transmission, or must wear glasses).
These new licences will begin to be issued from 24 Nov 2014
Learner licence
Restricted licence
Full licence
Darren has written over 3000 articles about driving and vehicles, plus almost 500 vehicle reviews and numerous driving courses. Connect with him on LinkedIn by clicking the name above
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