Motorists are being urged to check their driving licences before they risk breaking the law.
DVLA figures reveal that around 2.5million licences will expire between now and August 31, 2022, as reports the Mirror.
Further Freedom of Information data shows that 450,000 driving licences have expired in the past year, but many of these qualified for an automatic Covid extension of 11 months.
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However, drivers who had their licence renewal date extended due to the pandemic, have until the end of this year to apply for a new one.
Those who qualified for an extension between August 2020 and September 2021 now face a fine if they have failed to renew.
Paul Evans, head of Co-op Motor Insurance, said: “We’re urging motor vehicle owners to check the expiration date on their driving licence and if it’s due to expire within the next month, to start the renewal process as soon as possible.
“Driving licences can be renewed online, by post, or in person at most Post Offices.
“Due to last year’s national lockdown, motorists with driving licences which expired between February and December received an automatic 11-month extension to renew their licence.
“However, over 450,000 motorists whose driving licence expired between September 2020 and August 2021 need to be sure they’ve definitely renewed, as they run the risk of facing a serious fine.
“We’re urging all drivers to check their licence and renew quickly if they need to.”
Driving without a licence is a legal offence and can result in up to six penalty points and a fine of up to £1,000.
Also, not holding a valid driving licence could lead to an insurance claim being rejected.
Photocard driving licences must be renewed every ten years, and a recent photo must be used.
The Mirror reports that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency said all drivers should apply by November to ensure their licence arrives on time because of a backlog.
It comes amid a backlog of applications with renewals sent in August still being worked on.
It says the quickest way to apply is online which can take up to five days. Paper applications currently face delays of up to 10 weeks.
Those who have applied should be able to continue driving, but people are encouraged to check they meet the criteria for this before driving.
In July, the agency faced MPs over the “serious delays” in processing applications.
MPs said the problems created “significant adverse consequences” for people who submitted photo identification such as passports to support their applications.
The DVLA said: “With 49 million drivers and 40 million vehicles on the road, millions of people transact with us each month.
"Industrial action has been taking place since April and PCS is targeting a variety of areas within DVLA designed to have maximum negative impact on members of the public.
“This means that there are continuing delays with paper applications and in reaching our contact centre. There are no delays for those applying online.
"We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused but we are working as quickly as we can to deal with your application. We receive around 60,000 items of mail every day that needs to be opened and processed."
A DVLA spokesperson said: "Our online services have not been impacted by the pandemic and continue to run as normal and without any delays.
"Paper applications are taking on average, between six and ten weeks to process but there may be longer delays for more complex transactions such as those that require medical investigations."
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