Do you always have your driving license on you when driving?

dazzerb

I know you are supposed to have it at all times when driving but where do you put the stupid thing? The pink piece of folded paper fits into no wallet that I have ever owned and it is not the most durable document format which is supposed to last 10 years.

Why we cannot have a credit card sized durable card is beyond me.

What do you all do? Do you leave at home in a safe place and present when needed, do you just leave in your car (probably not a great idea) or do you squeeze into your wallet or pocket every time you drive? Girls with hand bags do not have this issue but for me it is certainly not ideal to carry with me at all times when driving (which I do and it is only a matter of time when it is so damaged that no Garda would accept it anyway!)

Anan1

I leave it in the sun visor. It got a bit messy when I drove two cars, but it's grand now.

The Big Red Button

I leave mine in my glovebox. I'm insured as a named driver on two other vehicles, and although I only drive each of them on average once a month and generally not for very long distances, I never think to get my licence from my own car. As far as I know, if you get asked for it, they'll let you present it at the Garda station within the next ten days? Open to correction on that one!

Zulu

Sun visor FTW.

Absurdum

I keep mine in the centre armrest, I don't bother taking it out if I'm driving another car because I can't be arsed. My old one fell apart from shoving it into my wallet. The law is stupid because the licence is stupid :pac:

no1beemerfan

In my wallet as I've two and a half cars, I drive the mother's, sister's and GF's cars regulary, the brother's van and hire a car regulary in England also. The face on yer one when I pulled out this tattered yoke to show her each time during the first few months of hiring!!
Its gets battered in the wallet but I've nowhere else to keep it without forgetting to bringing it with me.

whyulittle

Normally in my sun-visor. Left it at home in my jacket one day after using it as ID for something, and of course that's the day I get stopped by Guards.

I'm given the number of days to produce it at my local station which I do. A month or two later I receive a summons to court for failing to produce insurance. After ringing the station where I was stopped and going into my local station and producing my licence and insurance, I'm told the case will be struck out. They never put it into the system when I produced my licence (I was never told to produce insurance) first time. Tax, NCT and insurance were all valid and on the car.

In other words, just carry it with you at all times!

Tragedy

Sunvisor, and keep insurance/nct cert in glovebox.

Einstein

Another sunvisor user here

When oh WHEN are they gonna go down the credit card style wallet that EVERY wallet has a section for....

JohnK

Have I just got some supersized wallet or something? My licence fits in my wallet so I'd always have it on me if I'm driving.

Wossack

always when on the bike, never when in the car

(license lives in my bike jacket)

barryfitz

in the wallet, its fairly battered but thats not really my problem. It survived 7 years better than I though it would, so it should go the next 3 too.

marzic

got a uk licence, size of a bankcard and fits in me wallet

dazzerb

Tragedy wrote: »

Sunvisor, and keep insurance/nct cert in glovebox.

Are you supposed to carry the insurance cert too? Isn't the insurance disc enough?

Any concerns from all your visor and glove box folks that your license might get nicked?

Alanstrainor

Anan1 wrote: »

I leave it in the sun visor. It got a bit messy when I drove two cars, but it's grand now.

Sun visor here too! I'm still waiting for a credit card sized license.

Mr. Presentable

Keep it in my wallet. Tender invitations went out recently for replacing the license with a credit card type, so maybe in the next few years.........

Mr. Presentable

dazzerb wrote: »

Are you supposed to carry the insurance cert too? Isn't the insurance disc enough?

Any concerns from all your visor and glove box folks that your license might get nicked?

You are supposed to have the cert. Disc doesn't include name and address of the insured.

Ratchet

Wossack wrote: »

always when on the bike, never when in the car

(license lives in my bike jacket)

same here

neilthefunkeone

Its in my wallet.. Just went to double check and its literally moulded to the inside of my wallet.. Dont think ive taken it out in a a year or so..

Mint Sauce

sun visor here as well, am to waiting patiently for the credit card one like most of the rest of the EU, asked about any plans for one in the motor tax office, we could be waiting a while lads.

C0N0R

Used to carry in the sub visor but transferred to wallet when going on holidays. It's handy to have there as identification for the odd time in asked. But strangely enough i left my wallet at home today so I've no licence!

Alun

JohnK wrote: »

Have I just got some supersized wallet or something? My licence fits in my wallet so I'd always have it on me if I'm driving.

I don't think so .. mine fits perfectly in my wallet I have to say.

O.A.P

Sun visor, I drive a car and van so I forget it sometimes but not very often. It is a worry that it could get robbed at night but I'd be pissed off anyway if someone broke into or robbed either car or van. The van could have a lot of tools in it some nights and not much I can do about it. The credit card sized licence can't get here quick enough.

Niche market

Mine stays firmly lodged in my wallet too, so as to not be caught without it...

MetzgerMeister

My sun visor has a flip-up panel which reveals a mirror. That's where I keep mine.

It also has a slot that will fit the credit card type license. I hope I get to use it for that before I get rid of the car.........:rolleyes:

Del2005

In my wallet. It's formed around the bend now.

djimi

My last license literally disintegrated in my wallet so the replacement now stays in my wallet.

Ireland has the most pathetic drivers license Ive ever seen; how on earth is a piece of paper supposed to last 10 years when it has to be carried around between vehicles? Lunacy.

djimi

Mr. Presentable wrote: »

You are supposed to have the cert. Disc doesn't include name and address of the insured.

Im pretty sure you dont have to carry your insurance cert in the car, do you...?

pippip

djimi wrote: »

Im pretty sure you dont have to carry your insurance cert in the car, do you...?

You may not have to but they do ask for it when you are stopped. Happened to me at a check point, had it on me luckily enough. Keep license in the car anyway.

dirtydiesel

I used to carry mine in my pocket as i drive a van and 2 cars, but it was in bits so after getting a replacement I put it in the van and it stays there.
The woman in the tax office did say we are going to get credit card style licences but who knows how long it will be before that happens.

djimi

pippip wrote: »

You may not have to but they do ask for it when you are stopped. Happened to me at a check point, had it on me luckily enough. Keep license in the car anyway.

Just at a normal tax and insurance check point? Ive never been asked for my cert. Just that my disc is on display.

Even if they ask for it for any reason you can produce it at a garda station within 10 days.

rubensni

The French driver's licence is the same size and type as our own:

dazzerb

according to this a new credit card license is supposed to be implemented by 2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_driving_licence

"The Directive stipulates that Members States should adopt laws implementing the Directive no later than 19 January 2011"

and....

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/topics/behaviour/driving_licence/index_en.htm

"New EU driving licences will be shaped like a credit card and have the same licence categories for all countries. In this way, a driving licence from one country will easily be recognised in another. A plastic card is also more difficult to forge than a paper one."

Max Power1

pippip wrote: »

You may not have to but they do ask for it when you are stopped. Happened to me at a check point, had it on me luckily enough. Keep license in the car anyway.

Ive never been asked for insurance CERTs when at a checkpoint. I went through two this weekend and same routine at both, tax disc, nct disc, insurance disc, quick conversation close to the drivers window to establish if I had had a drink and on your way. No licence or anything

blastman

Mine lives in my wallet, but it's a UK licence.

Lord Nikon

Sunvisor here too. Not too far too look when stopped at checkpoint.

I leave mine in the glove compartment

CiniO

My easily fits into my wallet.
When I was living in Poland, I used to fit my registation cert in there, as in Poland it's necessery to carry your reg cert. at all times when driving.

PS. Anyone who says it's required to carry an insurance certificate in Ireland is wrong. You just need a set of discs on the windscreen and licence with you. That's it.

Run_to_da_hills

I carry mine at all times on the bike, hence I am lucky to get two years out of it before it falls apart.

ronkmonster

In a little compartment under car radio.

Will we have to pay again for these new card licences?

keithclancy

ronkmonster wrote: »

In a little compartment under car radio.

Will we have to pay again for these new card licences?

Yes

Mini Driver

under the sunvisor for me too! Dead handy and have been asked for it a few times (I must look really dodgy)

ronkmonster

keithclancy wrote: »

Yes

So the €25 I spent on my 10 year licence, 2 years ago, was a waste

mikemac

Have a motorbike and a moped

Licence stays in my biker jacket so it's there no matter what I use

Our man in Havana

Drivers side glovebox for me.

ttm

This is one of those rare occasions when I think there should have been a poll :eek:

Anyway mines in my wallet which 99% of the time is in my lefthand breast shirt pocket. 1% of the time when driving I don't wear a shirt with a lefthand breast pocket.

I also carry all the car certs like insurance and NCT in the glove compartment, always a good start to have the paperwork handy if you ever get stopped. EDIT> but probably a really bad idea if the car gets stolen.

Bonito

Thread needs poll.

djimi

ttm wrote: »

This is one of those rare occasions when I think there should have been a poll :eek:

Anyway mines in my wallet which 99% of the time is in my lefthand breast shirt pocket. 1% of the time when driving I don't wear a shirt with a lefthand breast pocket.

I also carry all the car certs like insurance and NCT in the glove compartment, always a good start to have the paperwork handy if you ever get stopped. EDIT> but probably a really bad idea if the car gets stolen.

...which is exactly the reason why I dont carry them around with me. At no time will you ever be required to produce your insurance/tax/NCT certs on the road, and if required you have 10 days to produce them at a garda station, so there really is no need to ever have them in the car.

dazzerb

I was not expecting so many responses! I just added the poll as suggested.

BTW: I just moved mine to my Sun Visor.

adox

Used to keep mine in the sun visor but since changing cars last week, I'm keeping it in the glove box as there's only a mirror on the inside of the sun visor.

Just realised there's a lock on the glove box too, which I should use.

I'd never carry around insurance certs in the car.

Murt10

I always leave mine at home. Why the hell should I assist someone to steal my identity just because the law is stupid. I carry a photocopy of the licence. I will produce the original at the station if required.

Keeping it in the sunvisor, as many seem to do, reminds me of a programme I watched on pickpockets, on the underground in the UK.

First of all the pickpocket takes a wallet from a marks pocket on the tube. He passes it on to an accomplice, who takes out just one of the credit cards from the back of the wallet, leaving the ones that are more frequently used untouched. The wallet is them passed back to the original thief who replaces it back in the marks pocket.

This gives the gang much longer to run wild with the CC before they max it out, or it is missed or reported stolen.

In the case of the licence, they could steal this from the sunvisor, and if they didn't smash the locks or windows getting into the car, it would be ages before it was missed. The first you would know about it is when you start getting in bills for goods you never bought.