Driving

Yeah, been in the same boat. Sold my car and gave up driving when I was doing my PhD and then moved to London. Gap of four years and I started again last year – no more no claims bonus now.

However, the £350 was a lot more palatable than when I started, which was £1300 for my Ford Fiesta!

What is a lapsed licence?  I’ve never heard of such thing. My licence says it’s good until my 70th birthday iirc.

With no claims bonus, they vanish after a 2 years laps.

If, like me, you haven’t moved house since 1985 or changed your name and you still have the old green paper license, you do not need to have a new pink photocard one until you hit the 70 mark 🙂

https://www.gov.uk/exchange-paper-driving-licence

You must get a new licence if:

you change your address
your licence has been defaced, lost, stolen or destroyed
you change your name (you must apply by post using paper form D1 or D2)
you’re getting a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) driver qualification card (DQC)
If none of these apply and your paper licence is still valid, you don’t need to exchange it for a photocard version.

Dan that explains alot.

I knew about the change of photo rule, but still your licence is good untill 70 normally.

My original photo card said until 70th, now the photo card has a 10 year life, the licence is untill 70.

I moaned on mm about the £20 tax to change the picture. The charge should be e ough to cover the salmon fee and postage. £3-5 would be a e palatable. £20 isn’t, and I bet it’s gone up since I last done mine.

The paper counterpart is now dead too, so mine will always have the 3 points on it forever!

They actually snuck that ten year update in, I only found out about it, through watch dog. I was about 2 months away from expiration. All my in laws was out of date! Non had any idea.

The black box is hit of miss, as my daughter works untill late at weekends, she would have to opt for the night one (after 11pm) and the saving on going with out the box is only £100, £1300 against £1400, so paying monthly, it’s hardy noticeable.

And the fines witj them blaxnkxes are harsh, I know a girl that has a heavy foot and light brain, that gets aroumd in £60 a month in fines of the inc for breaking rules.

I’m sure it all depends on location, circumstances,  location, age, sex, and so on, so there is never a 3rd party right answer for you. You just need to spend a night going through the yellow pages. The bad old way.

May be worth bound a £100 scrapper every third year, insuring it for 3 months then scrapping it. You ll get your £100, it will just cost you the 3monts Inc (it may be 6 months you need to keep the ncd going). But defo worth a look, as insurance is a bit steep without them.

Probably cost you a total of £100 by the time you scrap the car, every third year. Probably a worth while gamble

I’d imagine your not the policy holder,thats why it doesn’t carry over.

I’m a bit confused as to why anyone would want to leave the Motability scheme, Robin. If the award is indefinite (as mine is) then I don’t see the problem. Even if I were to win the Euro millions and become stinking rich, the payments will continue and I could use them towards a more expensive car, many of the luxury models including Merc’s are available. Appears to be morally wrong I know, but the payments are because the user has a disability, regardless of financial circumstances. On the other hand, there are small cars with either manual or auto ‘boxes available, some with less than the Total Allowance.

I had a neighbour who had Motability payments and would not take a car from the scheme. Instead, he bought second-hand crapmobiles and paid out for servicing, tyres and insurance. I proved to him that this was a false economy by taking everything he spent on the wheeled shed he bought, adding it up and contrasting it with my Motability lease. He would not budge: “It’s not yours!”    –    “No – but the difference is that mine will start every morning, I don’t pay for anything but fuel, and on the rare occasion of a breakdown (1 in 22 years) or RTC, (3 in same period, none my fault) it is recovered and repaired, although there is a £100 excess for a Repair.”

I am very grateful for my own Motability car every 3 years, which incidentally can now be stretched by 6 months or <span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>in exceptional circumstances</span>, another 3 years. the other day I was told that the British Taxpayer pays for my car. No, it does not: Motability is a charitable organisation that exists solely by donation from industry, private donors and its own fundraising efforts. I save a little bit every month for 3 years in order to be able to put down a good deposit on a decent ride. SWMBO and I have delicate constitutions ? ? and very painful spinal problems, comfort is a priority. This year all deposits have risen, thanks to the state of the GBP.

I have always found RSA to be helpful on the few occasions I have needed them, and managed to get a good Home Insurance deal by asking via the RSA site, not the Motability site, they take a cut but I already fundraise for them, that’s enough blood for now thank you. :scratch:  :negative:

Robin Long wrote:

Sorry, I should have written that better it was his wife’s mobility car, but she passed, he was the named driver as she couldn’t. Hence after it went back he had to get a car and ins by himself.

Oh I see: that would be a blow, I understand his problem better now. My misus would not ever contemplate driving, never had a licence and at 70 I can’t ever see her taking a Prov. licence, although she gets DLA Mobility same as me. Which is another point: if I fall from my current perch, she will be able to afford taxis, or take a car (as registered Keeper) and name one of the kids as a driver. Although she has a Bus Pass, they are a rare sight around here. Example – to get to Skegness, from Lincoln:

Wait for the Louth bus to come into Lincoln bus station, hope it gets to Louth before the Mablethorpe bus has to leave. If that bus is in at Louth, catch it and hope to get to Mablethorpe before the Skegness bus leaves. One traffic incident can blow all of this apart and pssengers are left waiting, sometimes for a couple of hours. If it’s after 19:30 hours in Louth, you ain’t gonna get to Skeggy tonight. Ah, the joys of a rural public transport service.