Driving a vehicle without the corresponding valid license is irresponsible and can be subject to an administrative penalty of up to 200 euros. Something that, beyond the economic question, can also have other types of much more important consequences.
The renewal of the permit is carried out periodically to determine that its holder maintains the driving skills in force. For this reason, upon reaching the age of sixty-five, this procedure must be carried out every five years, instead of every ten; since the individual’s reflexes and attention can be affected by the passage of time.
Although there is currently no age limit to renew the license, it is convenient to always have it in force in case we ever have to drive a vehicle; Otherwise, if we are stopped by a police officer, we could be penalized with a large fine. But the worst part is not the economic one, but rather the situation in which we would find ourselves in the event of an accident without having a valid license. And it is that many insurance companies could waive to cover the expenses of the accident, whether or not we were at fault for it.
Insurers may consider that driving a car with an expired license is just as serious as driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol; assumptions that companies will not overlook and with which they can refuse to pay for their own damages and those of others.
“Having an accident without a valid license may mean that we must bear the costs of repairing our own vehicle and that of the other, if we damage it; in addition to personal injuries, medical expenses and compensation,” they explain on the website of Mapfre, one of the main insurers in the country.
Therefore, it does not matter if the insurance coverage is third-party or fully comprehensive and that the policy is up to date. If you drive a vehicle with an expired license, the problems can be much greater than the laziness of going to renew it.
In this sense, the insurer believes that driving with a license that is not valid “is a terrible idea” with which we risk assuming “astronomical bills if we have an accident.” The insurance division of El Corte Inglés points in the same direction on its blog and, although it contemplates the possibility of assuming all the expenses, it later warns that the insurance company “will execute its right of repetition if it verifies that the driver’s license has expired , which will cause you to be forced to take care of each and every one of the expenses associated with the accident, from repairs to compensation of all kinds”.
However, as indicated by Vinyals Corredoria d’Assegurances, “insurance coverage will depend on what is established in the particular and general conditions of the policy. Most of them exclude the consequences derived from a driver’s crime, but driving a vehicle with the expired permit is not classified as a crime and, therefore, should not be a reason for not covering civil liability against third parties, nor for repetition against the insured”.
Nowadays, renewing your driver’s license is easy. It can be done from three months before it expires and at any affiliated medical center. There, after passing the necessary vision, hearing and psychomotor tests and controls, the validation will proceed without the need to go to the traffic offices. The same recognition center will process the renewal and we will receive the new card at home by post.
In addition, since the modification of the general regulations for drivers in 2008, it is no longer necessary to take the exam again when more than four years have passed to renew the expired driver’s license.
