CAR HIRE LICENCING RULES: The DVLA announced the changes to car hire regulations.
They confirmed that the traditional paper driving license is now abolished.
The DVLA has scrapped the now-defunct paper document counterpart. They reaffirmed that the new driving license photo card is a requirement for hiring a car.
The old paper licence contained important driver history information. It stored details of driving convictions and penalties.
New car hire rules have now been ‘driven in’ throughout most of the United Kingdom. They now require drivers to demonstrate their background history to employers or car rental agencies using a code system.
Temporary codes get generated ‘electronically’ by a software facility on the DVLA website. The new online system is the only version which shows evidence of any existing driving convictions or penalties to car rental agencies.
The online information summary can be viewed, shared, or downloaded as a PDF file. That means you can then print it out as necessary.
New Car Hire Rule Concerns
The advanced digital key is only valid for three days and drivers need to log on to obtain their code.
The concern is that it could be more difficult to rent a car in areas with poor Internet access.
This would be particularly so such as during holiday periods in the United Kingdom or abroad.
The governing authority insists that an alternative phone line exists. That is a lifeline for individuals who may forget to generate their code. But, the phone line has limited availability during working hours. As a rule, between 8am and 7pm on weekdays and from 8am to 2pm on Saturdays.
The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) expressed extra concerns. They suggested that the law changes are ‘muddled’ and got rushed through far too quickly.
The chief executive of the BVRLA quoted: “The project’s getting rushed through. It’s not brilliant.”
In fact, many motorists who hire a car do not get asked for evidence of convictions. But, the RAC UK warned about people being unaware of the new licence rules.
A recent survey by money.co.uk suggested 73% of drivers did not know that they now need to produce an electronic code when hiring a car. The AA advises motorists to have their paper counterpart available. Nonetheless, it is no longer valid.
Use the DVLA website link to view, share, or download your driving licence number and information.
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