DVLA is ‘rushing in’ counterpart rules

 

The car hire industry has accused the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) of ‘rushing in’ new rules for motorists hiring cars, the BBC reports.

The changes, which involve the abolition of the paper counterpart of a drivers licence, take effect on Monday 8 June.

This means that anyone hiring a car may have to produce a special temporary code as evidence of their convictions.

The DVLA responded by stating it has been working on the new system ‘for months’.

Gerry Keaney, the chief executive of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) said: ‘The project’s being rushed through. It’s not brilliant.’ As a result of scrapping the paper licence counterpart, all evidence of driving endorsements and convictions will be held online only.

From now on, motorists are being asked to log on to the DVLA website, and obtain a code, which they may be asked for when they go to hire a car, either in the UK or abroad.

However, the code is only valid for three days, raising the possibility that those going on holiday may have to find internet access.

The DVLA responded by saying that the system isn’t complicated. ‘It’s very easy to view and share your driving record. Just go to gov.uk and search for ‘view driving licence’,’ said Oliver Morley, the DVLA’s chief executive.

He said that motorists could also save their driving records as a PDF file, which they could store on a mobile device.

The DVLA has produced a step-by-step guide to help motorists through the process.

For those who forget to take a code, a phone number is also available, but only between the hours of 8am and 7pm on weekdays, and 8am and 2pm on Saturdays.