A HUGE driving licence change affecting 60,000 motorists will hit this weekend.
Requirements and standards for driving licences are set to change from October 5, as laid out by the government.
The major change to hit Jersey could impact 68,219 cars and vans on the island, as counted in a 2021 census.
Both Group 1 and Group 2 licence holders will be affected.
Group 1, the typical driver’s licence, will not face as serious changes as Group 2, for heavy goods vehicles and buses.
If you require a medical certificate to prove you’re fit to drive, the medical certificate will only be necessary if a certain condition is declared to your parish.
However, Group 2 licence holders will need an extra two medical tests in their lifetime.
Currently, Group 2 only requires medicals at 45, 55 and 65 years of age.
But now, there will be two more at 50 and 60.
Significant changes are also happening for vision standards in both licence-holder groups.
An exam to measure how good your peripheral vision is added to the driver’s licence standard.
Plus the acuity test which measures the clarity of your vision has been updated.
Interestingly, more people might end up getting Group 2 licences – as diabetes, epilepsy, and seizure standards have also been updated.
If you passed your driver’s licence before 1997 and you have either a C1 or D1 on your licence, you are a holder of a Group 2 licence.
Should you not want or need this, it can be withdrawn.
If you change your mind you have five years to get it back.
Essentially, these changes will transform Jersey driver’s license standards in line with UK and EU law.
In the UK, you receive a full driving licence after you've passed your drivers test.
After you have passed your driver’s test, the examiner will take your provisional driving licence away and give you your driving test certificate instead.
Then you will need to arrange for the DVLA to send over your licence but you can keep driving in the meantime.
Here’s how to apply for a driving licence if you didn’t give your provisional licence to the examiner, or you’ve had a change of personal details, or you need to renew your driving licence.
