AA warns companies over foreign driving licences
Almost one third of foreign driving licence enquiries received by AA Business Services are from business users working for UK companies who would be vicariously liable for their drivers' actions in the event of an accident...
Now the organisation is warning that an increasing number of foreign drivers could be on the UK's roads illegally because there is no robust procedure to check the hundreds of varieties of overseas licences. And with increased international mobility and economic migration, the problem could get worse as the European Union continues to enlarge over time.
As a result, AA Business Services is calling on the Government to crack down on European Union licence shopping online, where some websites are openly encouraging UK motorists with penalty points to apply for an overseas equivalent licence. The websites admit that they are 'sneaky' but not illegal.
The warnings are aimed at employers who take on overseas workers and drivers. Many bosses or fleet managers struggle to identify whether the licences they are presented with are legal documents and call the DVLA or AA International Motoring Services for advice - as do police forces faced with more than 110 different models of licence in circulation across the EU, says AA Business Services.
Amongst enquiries received on foreign driving licences, the AA found that several non-EU motorists were driving on a foreign licence that had become invalid. The AA dealt with queries from licence holders and companies where the national licence had been issued in Kenya, Swaziland, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Albania, Zimbabwe, The Philippines, Brazil, Pakistan, Turkey, South Africa and Croatia.
The AA discovered that one driver from Croatia had been behind the wheel of his car for almost 15 years without a valid licence that is legally recognised.
Paul Holmes head of risk management at AA Business Services, said: "This is the tip of a very worrying iceberg as the EU continues to enlarge. If you are a fleet manager, how do you know if the licence you have been provided with is legal? It may look bona fide, but you have no immediate way of telling without reference to another body such as ourselves."
People coming to the UK from outside the EU are not legally required to possess an International Driving Permit, but it is required by some UK insurance companies in order for the policy to be valid. The permit needs to be obtained from the driver's country of origin, normally prior to arrival in the UK. Valid for a year, the document is to verify translation of the existing overseas licence entitlement and validate the insurance cover. This is dictated by the International Road Traffic Convention of which the UK is a co-signatory. Referring to the websites Mr Holmes added: "These websites are a serious concern for us and we are urging the government to close the legal loophole that allows them to operate. If someone who has lost their licence through bad driving applies for one, they could be quickly back on the road and pose a danger to themselves and other road users - it's a risk time bomb."