Don’t let your face cost you money on the roads

Beauty is ephemeral and few of us can go ten years without some indication of wear and tear being etched on our face. 

But for many there is a temptation to imagine ourselves as we were and not recognise that time stands still for no man and that photographic evidence is for the most part, irrefutable.

In a motoring context, such vanity could be costly.

According to information uncovered by a Freedom of Information (FOI) made by Sainsbury’s car insurance, more than a million UK motorists are at risk of a £1,000 financial penalty because they have neglected to renew their photo card driving after its 10 year expiry – a requirement under British law.

The FOI request also found that 30% of people were aware that they were in possession of an expired licence and 14% had photo cards that were out of date for more than two years.

Ben Tyte, Head of Car Insurance at Sainsbury's, has warned motorists that they need to act quickly to avoid adding incurring the costs of an expired photo card and that “drivers should remember that their photo card licence serves as more than just a driving licence."

He added: “The photo card driving licence was introduced in 1998 so it's unsurprising that those issued with a licence around that time may not remember that they need to update their photograph.” 

So to avoid a multi-million pound penalty, motorists better get moving, as estimates indicate that around three million licences will be out of date by the end of 2012.

So is it vanity or forgetfulness? In all likelihood, a little of both is probably the answer.