If your driving licence is taken off you, it will have been because you have reached the maximum number of penalty points allowed or because you have committed a motoring offence that was seen by the courts to have put the lives of others – and yourself – at risk.
Losing your driving licence can mean not only losing your independence but also your job as the lack of a driving licence is seen by many employers as a serious issue. Some people have lost their jobs as a result of losing their licences simply because it means they cannot carry out their jobs as lorry drivers, taxi drivers, salesmen or other employees that are required use a vehicle for work.
Losing Your Driving Licence
If you have lost your driving licence it will be because either:
- You have reached the maximum number of penalty points allowed on your licence
- You have a committed a motoring offence deemed serious enough by a court to warrant a driving ban
If your driving licence is revoked for a motoring offence you could be looking at a disqualification period ranging from one year to ten years depending on the severity of the offence. In some rare instances a magistrate will issue a lifetime driving ban if there is a significant risk of the driver reoffending and putting the lives of others at risk.
Once your driving licence has been revoked you are no longer legally allowed to drive any vehicle and if you are caught in charge of a vehicle during this period of disqualification you could be subject to a custodial sentence as well as a hefty fine and further disqualification
Short Period Disqualification
A Short Period Disqualification (SPD) is usually less than fifty-six days. If you receive such a disqualification then the court will give you your licence back but the short term disqualification will be recorded. Your licence does not need to be surrendered or returned to the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) and you can start driving again the day after the disqualification period has expired. To check the date the disqualification ends, you can view your driving licence online. You can’t drive until it has ended.You don’t need to apply for a new licence before you can drive again.
Applying for your Driving Licence to be Reinstated
If your disqualification is longer term (more tan 56 days)you may reapply to the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) to have your licence reinstated. You must complete the form D27P which the DVLA will send you 56 days before the disqualification period is due to end.
If you don’t receive your D27P from the DVLA, you can complete the normal D1 application for a driving licence.
If you have been disqualified for alcohol related offences, the DVLA will make health checks before returning your licence, so you’ll need to make extra time allowances for this. In some instances, again depending on the nature of your motoring offence, you may have to re-take the theory test, the hazard perception test and the practical driving test again. You can apply for a provisional driver’s licence during this time but you should be aware that your provisional licence will show any endorsements you have received.
Even if your period of disqualification has expired, the endorsements may remain on your licence unless otherwise instructed by a magistrate. In these cases a magistrate will not remove the endorsements without you first appearing before them and putting your case forward for their removal.