The DVLA has issued an important statement affecting all motorists above the age of 70.
Elderly drivers have been issued a crucial warning from the DVLA (Image: Getty)
The DVLA has issued a crucial message to every driver above the age of 70 in a major warning. The motoring experts issued a reminder that motorists must renew their driving licence every three years once they reach the major milestone.
Younger motorists only have to renew their driving licence photocard once every 10 years, but this is reduced to every 36 months after 70. Older motorists have to renew their licence more often as the DVLA needs to ensure individuals are still medically fit to drive.
Driving licences must be renewed every three years after 70 (Image: Getty)
Renewing a licence will allow DVLA chiefs to consider any age-related health changes that could see motorists have their licence stripped.
Posting on social media site X, the DVLA said: “If you’re 70 or over, you need to renew your driving licence every 3 years. Do it online – you’ll get your new licence within a week!”
Under the rules, motorists tend to self-assess their health conditions, reporting to the DVLA if there is any reason why they may not be allowed on the roads. However, this system has been recently called out, with Coroner Dr James Adeley stressing that the UK’s driving licence system was the “laxest in Europe”.
He stressed that the “self-certification” process when applying to stay on the roads was a major gap in the system and called for changes. The Department for Transport (DfT) is currently consulting on introducing mandatory eyesight checks for motorists above the age of 70.
The new rule is still in a consultation phase until May, but stricter assessments could be introduced soon after. Older motorists can renew their driving licence online through GOV.UK in just a matter of minutes.
Road users can renew their licence if they are already 70 or over, or will be 70 in the next 90 days. Motorists can apply by post using the D46P application form. But road users can also use the D1 application for a driving licence if they don’t have the D46P form.
However, older drivers must renew their licence through the post if they want to renew a C1 (medium-sized vehicles) or D1 (minibus) entitlement.
New driving licences should arrive within three weeks of an application. However, licences might take longer if your medical or personal details need to be checked.
Jet-setting Keir Starmer’s trips around the world cost UK taxpayer £4m
Sir Keir Starmer travelling on a plane to the COP climate conference in Brazil last year (Image: Getty)
Sir Keir Starmer’s globetrotting has cost the taxpayer millions since entering Number 10, new figures show. The Labour government is spending a greater amount on foreign trips, with the Prime Minister’s 39 visits abroad since July 2024 costing more than £4 million.
The Labour leader’s frequent trips overseas have seen Tories dub him ‘Never Here Keir’, while some of his backbenchers are said to have also been frustrated by the regularity of his visits overseas. Improving relations with other countries has been one of Sir Keir’s foreign policy priorities since taking office, with his Brexit ‘reset’ with the EU and a new trade deal with China two obvious examples. Sir Keir’s most expensive quarter for travel came at the end of 2025, with eight trips costing up to £1.2 million.
Sir Keir Starmer at the COP climate conference in Brazil – a trip which cost £413,000 in total (Image: Getty)
The most pricey was his three-day visit to the COP climate conference in Brazil, along with 29 officials, which added up to £413,000, The Guardian reported.
A trade trip to India with 45 staff on a commercial plane cost £340,000, while £367,000 was spent on a trip to the G20 in Johannesburg, South Africa, with 30 staff on an RAF jet.
The figures were released in the Government’s latest transparency publication.
Sir Keir is spending more on foreign trips than his predecessors Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson, although much of Mr Johnson’s premiership was marked by international travel bans due to the pandemic.
However, the Guardian reports Sir Tony Blair, David Cameron and Theresa made as many, if not more, trips abroad than Sir Keir during the first two years in Number 10.
A Government spokesperson said: “All PM travel is done with consideration to security requirements and value for taxpayers, and is central to rebuilding Britain’s global influence and keeping people safe through stronger alliances.
“These trips have helped secure billions in investment for the UK and tens of thousands of jobs, while strengthening our security, protecting British interests overseas and delivering real benefits for people at home.”
