AIBU to threaten to call police on my sister?

[Needsomeadvicehere]

NC because I feel bad about this. My DS's driving licence is years out of date. She can't have renewed it since she passed her test in the 1990s, because it's the old sort without a photo on it! And she has changed address several times since then. She says she never got round to updating it, and doesn't dare to do it now because she would have to declare her previous addresses.

I've told her the licence is not valid any more, so that must invalidate her insurance. It's really serious. If she has an accident and injures someone she won't be insured. She is now refusing to speak about it. I don't want to threaten to report her, but what else can I do?

What do you hope to achieve from threatening that?

Will you follow through if she doesn’t change it?

If she has an accident and injures someone then her insurance, or lack thereof, would be the least of her worries.

I have an old style driving licence. I think mine's valid until I am 70!!!

Unless the law has changed she still has a valid licence but could be fined for having the wrong address on it.

I was pulled over for needing to have a brake light replaced. I had to go to the police station to prove the work had been carried out and take my licence and insurance with me. I hadn’t updated my address on the licence but it wasn’t an issue and I wasn’t fined. I did get it updated after that though, and wasn’t asked for any previous addresses.

Can’t she just update it to her current address?

You can either say nothing and deal with the consequences if she has an accident or you can report her and deal with the consequences of that. She is an adult, she needs to deal with life in an adult way.

She wouldn’t have to declare her previous addresses, just her current one

her licence is still valid,
the new style you have to renew for the photo card rather than the licence itself

As she's an adult and aware of any consequences I'd leave her to it

The old types are still current.

You should check your facts first.

Also, what a shitty thing to do/threaten.

The address thing is a problem because if the police send a driver information request to the address on her licence then she won't receive the letter, and the penalty for not returning the information is 6 points and a fine. People get caught out by this a lot.

I agree with pp ; I don't think this is any of your business. I am fairly sure that a lot of people have still got old style licenses. Admittedly she should update her address but it is up to her.

You should feel bad to be fair. Not only are you not a nice sister, you're wrong too.

I don't think the paper licenses are still current. I thought everyone was supposed to have sent them in and changed them over a few years ago.

You are still allowed to have the old paper licence and you dont need to renew, they last years and years. You only have to tell them of address changed

Nowisthemonthofmaying The letter is sent to the registered keeper of the vehicle, not the address on a persons driving licence. For a start, the police don’t know who is driving so how would they know whose driving licence to use?

www.gov.uk/exchange-paper-driving-licence

Here you go...

"05BunningAndStrave

I don't think the paper licenses are still current. I thought everyone was supposed to have sent them in and changed them over a few years ago."

No sorry, but that's rubbish. Paper licences are absolutely still valid. I know that for a fact. We had to send a licence in for something and they sent back the paper one still ok to use it.

You have to renew to a photocard from a paper licence if you change your address. You don't have to declare any addresses you've lived in between the address on the paper licence and the address you're at now. It's also a £1000 fine for not keeping it updated.

Why do you even know this? I am finding this a lot on MN at the moment, people moaning and threatening reporting family members, friends, random people who bought their house year ago, for stuff that I would just never think to ask people about.

I have an old non-photo licence from 1993, when we moved to our current house, which now resembles the sort of ancient document that can only be handled with gloves on! It's yellowing (not a good look with pink) falling apart along the fold lines, and the corners have disintegrated. Inspired by this thread I am going to apply for a new photo licence today, after several years of 'yes, I'm going to....' and huge embarrassment every time I have to produce it

Surely as far as the DVLA know, the op's sister might only just have moved? I'm sure they don't pry that much, do they? She should definitely get her current address put on the licence, in any case.

You are bonkers

Should I call the police on you? 😆

Honestly an address isn't enough to make her dangerous or illegale

OP, I think you are gonna have to apologise to your sister.......

Paper licences are still valid, my dh has one.
So no worries...you won’t have to report your sister for this bullshit after all.

I did look it up and found that, as long as she got the old paper licence before 1998, it could still be valid. But as you can be fined £1000 if your licence shows your old address, which hers does, surely that means it isn't valid? Which would mean the insurance isn't valid? Which is serious.

Driving licenses need renewing every 10 years. How do people not know this!