Driving without a valid licence?
Driving without a valid licence will get you a penalty of 3-6 points and a maximum fine of £1000. The court can also issue a driving ban which stops you from obtaining a driver’s licence for a set period in the future.
Driving Without A Valid Licence Invalidates Your Insurance
You may also receive further charges of driving without insurance as your insurance may be invalid if you do not have a valid driver’s licence. If you were caught without a license as a result of an accident then this is seriously bad news as you may have to pay damages to the 3rd party and the Police can impound your car and may even scrap it if you fail to produce proof of insurance with 14 days.
In addition, if you are a learner driver, only hold a provisional licence and are caught driving without a supervisor who is over 21 and has held a licence for three years or more, without ‘L’ plates displayed on the vehicle, you could face similar penalties.
Furthermore, you could be punished if you have an ordinary or specific kind of driving licence but are caught driving a different vehicle, such as an LGV.
Getting caught driving without a licence
The chances of getting caught driving without a licence depends on the area you drive in and the legality of the vehicle you are driving. Police cars are mostly fitted with automatic number plate recognition ANPR) systems which tell if a vehicle is insured, taxed and if it holds a current MOT (if older than 3 years of age). If your vehicle does not meet these legal requirements to be driven on public roads, the chances of being stopped by the police is high, especially in a city area.
Many static cameras are also fitted with number plate recognition that ultimately relay information to the police. Many of these ANPR cameras are located on motorways, main roads and city centres.
Driving without a licence is not endorsable if you have passed the required test and you have an entitlement to driving the vehicle in question but for some reason your licence has been revoked or suspended.
This sometime happens if you have been convicted of an endorsable offence without knowing about it and the DVLA have been trying to get hold of you in order to endorse points on it. If you don’t respond to their letters they will revoke/suspend your licence whilst waiting for you to surrender it.
