A driving licence (DL) is an essential document that provides vehicle owners with permission to drive their vehicles freely and legally on public roads. The Motor Vehicle Act 1988 made it mandatory for every vehicle owner to hold a valid driving licence.
Further, Section 177 of the Motor Vehicle Act 1988 states that no motor vehicle owner can drive their vehicle without a valid driving licence, and violation of this rule is considered as a punishable offence which can incur a fine of ₹500 or imprisonment up to 3 years.
This licence is particularly important as it specifies that all motor vehicle owners are well acquainted with the traffic rules and signals. It is because they get the document after successfully passing the driving test.
Further, this licence is essential because in case an accident occurs, vehicle owners can claim insurance for the damages. If vehicle owners drive with an expired driving licence, they cannot settle a claim with the insurance company for the damages.
As stated in the introductory paragraph, a driving licence comes with a validity period and even remains valid for one month even after the expiry. However, they can apply for renewal of driving licence after expiry by paying a penalty charge.
Note: If a driving licence is not renewed after 5 years from the date of expiry, vehicle owners have to apply for a fresh driving licence as the previous document will lose its validity.
From the above-mentioned piece, you can thoroughly understand the importance of having a valid driving licence. The next question that comes to mind after knowing the importance is how to renew a driving licence.
Since the driving licence renewal process can be done in both online and offline mode, both these processes have been explained separately. Read along!