The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is warning people to be aware of the changes that will take effect in just over two weeks’ time as the paper counterpart for the driving licence is scrapped.

As was the case with the abolition of the paper tax disc last October, the IAM fear many people are still confused or unaware of the implications of the scrapping of the paper counterpart on 8 June.

The counterpart was introduced alongside the photo card driving licence in 1998 to include details that could not be included on the card itself, such as any endorsements and which category of vehicles you are entitled to drive.

However this information will now be stored electronically and not be shown on any written documentation you will have. These details can be only be obtained via the DVLA driver record system, and be checked online (reference 1) or in writing by post.

As of 8 June the paper counterpart, or an old-style paper driving licence cannot be relied upon to carry correct or-up-to-date information about endorsements or categories of vehicle someone can drive.

The counterpart will carry no legal status, and the DVLA recommends you destroy it after 8 June.

What is also changing is the procedure if you have to surrender your driving licence to a court in the event of an endorsement. The court will take your photocard and if you include the paper counterpart with your submission, the photocard will be returned to you but the counterpart will not.

You will be expected to pay your fine in the normal way however.

Another change is how to provide proof of your driving record to an employer or car hire firm, as your photocard or paper licence will not be enough in itself any more.

You will need to access the DVLA’s Share Driving Licence service, which as of Tuesday (19 May) is now up and running (reference 1 again).

You will be expected to access the details yourself and print those off for submission to a car hire firm or employer. Or you can call the DVLA and give a third party permission to check your driving record verbally.

If you are hiring a vehicle, it is important to check with the car hire firm beforehand what information they need. Other than downloading the information as detailed above, you can also obtain a special code from www.gov.uk which allows the hire firm access to your record for 72 hours to make the necessary checks. This applies to both holders of photocard and paper licences.

Sarah Sillars, IAM chief executive officer, said: “People are not aware of how many of the current procedures are changing. Similar to the abolition of the tax disc, they assume much of what has happened before will continue.

“The onus is very much on the individual to obtain the information they need beforehand. So we very much hope people will not be caught unawares, especially if they don’t want a nasty surprise when arriving to collect their car at the start of their holiday.”

ENDS

Reference 1

Riders for Health are offering World Superbike fans a unique chance to go behind-the-scenes of the sport with a Kawasaki Team Experience at Donington Park this weekend.

The experience will be up-for-grabs in the Riders for Health auction, which will take place on Thursday 21st May from 2-3pm as part of the WSBK Paddock Show at Donington Park.

This unique prize includes a meet and greet with Kawasaki riders, a tour of the garage and full factory hospitality including lunch and merchandise. Also included will be dinner for two with the Kawasaki team and riders including Tom Sykes, Jonathan Rea and New Zealand rider Avalon Biddle as well as a private garage tour from Jonathan Rea.

The prize has been kindly donated by the Kawasaki Racing Team and Pole Position Travel, and all of the money raised from the auction will support the life-saving work of Riders for Health. The charity ensures health workers across Africa have access to reliable, well maintained motorcycles and ambulances so that they can continue to transform health care for 14 million people.

It’s been a positive outing for Honda Racing in challenging conditions at the North West 200 this week. Practice, qualifying and racing at the 8.9-mile Northern Ireland circuit has been plagued with tricky weather conditions, delays and cancellations to the schedule throughout.

John McGuinness and Conor Cummins had good runs on the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP in all Superbike sessions, qualifying third and ninth respectively on the grid. Due to the different weather conditions in both practice and qualifying the original starting positions were amended and decided on an alternate grid pattern, which saw McGuinness move back to fifth and Cummins 11th.

The first Superbike race of the day was red flagged on the first lap and the restart took place just after 4pm, which saw the race shortened from seven to five laps. On the restart McGuinness got a good start off the line and was running in sixth place after the first lap, which is the position he held for most of the race and crossed the line in.

Meanwhile team-mate Cummins was running in eighth place when on the third lap he had a moment and wasn’t sure if it was to do with the high winds or a mechanical issue so returned to the pits, where the mechanics had a look over the bike. With no problems found the Manxman returned to the track and completed the final lap of the race, after being in the pits for one lap.

The second Superbike race of the day was called off by the organisers due to high winds around the circuit and the concern for all riders’ safety.

The Honda Racing squad will now turn its full focus to the Isle of Man TT races, which begin on Monday 1 June where both McGuinness and Cummins will compete in the two Superbike races for Honda Racing. 

EIGHTH AND NINTH ROW FOR BAUTISTA AND MELANDRI 

Le Mans (France), 16 May 2015 - The unpredictable weather conditions, with cold and a less than perfect track, after the rain late this morning and the resulting poor grip, did not help the work Bautista and Melandri were trying to accomplish, still looking for the right direction to go in development of the Aprilia RS-GP bikes.

After the morning free practice session where the good time Bautista put on the sheets (16th in 1'34.341) was a sign that the work being done in the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini garage was headed in the right direction, a light rain decidedly worsened the condition of the French asphalt. Although the track had dried off when the qualifiers started, the poor grip definitely hindered the performance of the Italian bikes and ended the session - which decided the order on the starting grid for the race tomorrow - with Bautista in 23rd place (1'35.458) and Melandri in 25th (1'37.522), positions which respectively place them on the eighth and ninth row for the start of tomorrow's GP.

ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Manager)
"The poor grip conditions, precisely in the qualifiers, certainly didn't help since our main problem at this time is tyre performance. It's obvious that significantly poor grip like what we have today penalises us more than the others. It's a shame because the morning went rather well with Alvaro, who was then unable to repeat the performance in the decisive session. We are well aware of the problem and we absolutely must improve this aspect which is decisive in order to improve the overall performance of the bike."

FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)
"It's quite clear that here at Le Mans today we paid the price for the poor grip, also due to the low temperature. In these conditions it's difficult to get power to the tarmac. But it's no surprise and what we need to do is take steps to fix the situation for tomorrow. We have some changes in mind and we'll try them tomorrow during warm up. The goal is to improve for the race."

ALVARO BAUTISTA
"After the free practice sessions we had to face rather unfavourable conditions in the qualifiers. Poor grip, despite the fact that the asphalt had dried off, put us at a distinct disadvantage, especially in terms of traction. I'm disappointed because in the morning I had put in a good time and I thought I could improve even more. For the race everything is hinging on the weather: if it's dry let's hope for some heat as well, which would eliminate some of the disadvantages that hindered us today."

MARCO MELANDRI
"I'm facing the same problems as I had at the beginning of the season. I need some significant changes that will help me gain more confidence on the bike. This is a fundamental condition for me to think about pushing hard to try and achieve results."

With the number of drivers age 70 or older now rising by more than 10,000 a month, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is calling for the government, medical professionals and assessment providers to come together to address the needs of this generation of motorists.

The call comes in light of figures showing for the first time there are now more than 4.34 million licence holders over 70 on our roads; 320,000 more than three years ago - an increase of 11% from 3.9 million in 2012 (reference 1/2).

The 323,631 increase in the past 31 months amounts to an average additional increase of 10,440 drivers age 70 and over on UK roads per month.

Over 80’s broke the one million number last year and increased by over 100,000 since then; a rise of 10% to 1.17 million (reference 1/2).

There are more than 11,000 more licence holders in their 90s compared to three years ago, an increase of 16%, while there are now 232 licence holders over 100, a rise of 70 on three years ago.

Britain’s oldest licence holder in 2015 is 107, while in 2012 it was 106.

What’s more projections have shown those numbers could almost double in around 20 years.

Current government data shows that there were five million people in the UK aged 75 and over in 2012; this is projected to rise to 5.5 million in 2017; 6.6 million in 2022; 7.7 million in 2027; 8.5 million in 2032 and 9.5 million in 2037 (reference 3).

Sarah Sillars, IAM chief executive officer, said: “People are living longer and therefore there are many more drivers on the roads that are past retirement age. We want these drivers to enjoy their motoring for as long as possible, so we want some thought and resources to go into how we can allow this to happen.”

IAM research shows that the most common factors in a road accident involving a person over 70 were: failing to judge the other person’s path or speed, poor turn-in or manoeuvre, losing control, illness or disability, dazzling sun; and nervousness, anxiety or panic (reference 4).

It added those factors were typical of deteriorating physical and cognitive functioning (also reference 4).

However figures show that older drivers are proven to be the safest on the roads. Previous analysis by the IAM found that older drivers are involved in a smaller number of injury accidents than drivers under the age of 60. In 2011, people over 70 made up nine per cent of drivers but six per cent of driver casualties, while drivers under 30 made up 20 per cent of drivers but 35 per cent of casualties (reference 5).

The IAM is calling for the following:

• A government action plan for older drivers • More car manufacturers considering older drivers in vehicle design • Better information for older drivers and their families • Online self-assessment tools for older drivers • Wider availability of voluntary on-road driving assessments • Better partnership working at a local level

IAM’s table of drivers over 70 is broken down as follows:

In 2012

Numbers of driving licence holders in their: 70s/80s/90s/100s 2,842,452/988,424/71,097/162 (highest: age 106)

In 2015

Numbers of driving licence holders in their: 70s/80s/90s/100s 3,166,083/1,089,065/82,937/232 (highest: age 107)

Increase between 2012 and 2015 (numerical) +323,631/+100,641/+11,840/+70

Increase between 2012 and 2015 (percentage) +11.3%/+10%/+16.7%/+43.1%