Coleman Insurance Brokers is urging businesses to be aware of the imminent changes by the DVLA to the British driving license. As part of the Government’s Red Tape Challenge initiative, from 8 June 2015, the DVLA will no longer issue the paper counterpart to the photo card. From this date onwards all paper counterparts will no longer have any legal status.
Coleman Account Executive Spencer Coughlin advised, “All organisations have a legal obligation to ensure that drivers are entitled to drive on their behalf or indeed to use a company vehicle for social domestic and pleasure use. The failure to confirm this entitlement exposes an organisation to significant legal risks and liabilities, both civil and criminal.”
Spencer continued, “It is not only businesses providing employees with a company vehicle that will be affected by these changes. Almost every motor trade business will provide their clients with a courtesy vehicle and again those businesses will be required to check their client’s licence details before allowing them to drive away the courtesy car. There are other businesses such as those involved in Self Drive Hire who have the same obligation to check licence details before making a vehicle available.”
Spencer added, “Many businesses have historically relied upon viewing physical documents, as part of their driver risk management programme, but after 8th June 2015, the only legal source for confirmation of penalty points and endorsements will be the driver record held by the DVLA.
“Partners with the DVLA such as EDECS (Electronic Driver Entitlement Checking Service) providers have been offering a professional third party licence checking service for many years but there is also a charge relating to this service.
“At Coleman we are keen to make our clients aware of a new free Government web site where a live check on a driver’s status can be carried out and one can accurately confirm convictions, points, personal details and vehicles permitted to drive. We recommend that companies visit
www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence “
