Drivers born in these years must fill in form or face 'criminal record'

Drivers born in these years must fill in form or face 'criminal record'
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Older drivers face a £1,000 charge to keep their car on the road. Road users must renew their driving licence once reaching a certain age, else they risk fines of up to £5,000, with drivers approaching 70 - so born in 1954 or 1955 - reminded that they will need to renew their permits.

Age UK warned: "When you reach the age of 70, your driving licence expires - but this doesn't necessarily mean you have to stop driving. If you want to continue, you just need to renew your licence. You'll need to renew it every three years after that. Renewal is free of charge."

The DVLA will typically send out a letter and D46P application form in the post to motorists around three months before their 70th birthday. The document should be filled out as soon as possible and returned to the DVLA with the driver's current photocard.

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Or, if they have an older paper licence, an up-to-date passport-style photograph of them. They continued: "Don't forget to apply for any extra categories of vehicle covered on your old licence if you still want to be able to drive them.

"There might be extra costs for these, but if you don't apply for these extra categories, you'll only be able to drive a car in future." Driving a vehicle without a valid licence is a serious offence that could lead to fines of up to £5,000.

It can also trigger anywhere between three and nine points on a motorist's licence. Unlicenced drivers could be made to do community service or even spend up to six months in prison, with the offence being recorded on their criminal record.

You can use this service to renew your British driving licence if you’re 70 or over, or will be 70 in the next 90 days, and your British licence has expired – or it’s going to expire within 90 days, you’re a resident of Great Britain (there’s a different service in Northern Ireland), you meet the minimum eyesight requirement or you aren’t prevented from driving for any reason.