Yes Mike, the licences were swapped from a little, cigarette packet sized RED thin book to paper sheet licences about 1968? (someone will google and advise). As I recall we went through two styles of paper licence then got replaced with a credit card sized photocard, supplemented with a paper "explanation/ record of penalties", that you could leave at home around 2001. Thereby your plastic licence will last longer than a paper one. Except, they decided they could make lots of money by making you renew your new plastic driving licence every ten years justified by the passport requirement that your features will change through ten years between renewals. An offence not to renew. If you kept your paper licence (you have to renew it to a plastic photocard if you change address/ pass another test/ want penalty points 'displayed' taken off etc.) then it is valid, and mine has lasted 19 years so far, in fair condition. Our DVLA have for the last 10 years or so, been committing every driver record to a digital system and from July 2015 they will have got this government, self funding department running on such a reliable, slick digital system that us, the general populace will no longer need to keep our own record of what we can or can't do. THE GOVERNMENT WILL STORE IT FOR US, SAFELY.
Me cynical?
S
PS. I knew if I stuck with it my points were irrelevant even if displayed on the licence. I've a clean sheet again now. (read as "not caught" as opposed to anything else)
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