Licence Bureau reminds companies of Privacy Laws as DVLA View Driving Licence portal goes live

  • New online ‘View Driving Licence’ service allows drivers to check personal records online
  • An offence will be committed if a driver’s personal records are accessed unlawfully
  • Licence Bureau continues to offer detailed, cost-effective check on driver records

With the DVLA’s new online ‘View Driving Licence’ service going live earlier this month, Licence Bureau is reminding companies and individuals alike to remain vigilant when using the service.

The DVLA’s new service allows individuals to instantly check their driving record online by entering in their details. However, using the service to check on colleagues’ or employees’ records may constitute a breach of privacy, unless they have been given permission by the employee to carry this out.

All-drivers can now check their individual driving licence record with the new DVLA service at www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence.

Employers and companies can be sure they are complying with privacy legislation when checking driver records by using Licence Bureau.

MOTs, Insurance, Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) and Eyesight and Health are other complementary checks which Licence Bureau can arrange which further add value to achieving full employee driver compliance.

Licence Bureau is amongst a group of organisations approved by the DVLA to handle such data and has undertaken more than a million licence checks in the last decade.

DVLA will launch a new online service for companies in 2015, allowing employer access to driver’s records (with the data subject to consent) for additional convenience, reporting and checks.

Malcolm Maycock, Managing Director of Licence Bureau Ltd said, “Moving these services online is a huge step into the 21st century, adding security whilst reducing time when accessing and updating records. It may be tempting for companies to see this new portal as an additional check, but in doing so they are breaching privacy laws.”