Digital IDs have been in the news in the last week after the Prime Minister, Kier Starmer, announced plans to introduce mandatory Digital IDs that would be accessed on your mobile phone.
Those plans would be for ALL UK citizens, with the idea being to modernise and unify identification into one, singular form of ID so that it would be easier to avoid forgeries, scams, and fraud.
The new digital ID would be separate from digital driving licence plans, with that still being an optional decision for drivers once introduced, though it’s clear with this move that the plan would be to digitise driving licences entirely eventually.
It also raises questions around whether other motoring requirements might be digitised in time too, such as MOTs.
Will Digital IDs Make Licence Checking Easier?
So, while physical licences might be phased out at some point in the future, there are no plans to scrap them in the immediate future. That’s despite plans for digital IDs for all adults in the UK, which the government believe will hold ‘countless’ benefits for businesses.
Digital driving licences are expected to officially launch in the next few months, which will present an interesting development for fleets.
The changes have been discussed for a long time, with much of the research being conducted under the previous licence as the DVLA and government look to modernise much of what they do.
The government believes that the digital IDs and driving licences will be safer than physical driving licences, with only the official owner of the ID able to access it via an official government app.
There is a hope that it will make licence checking a more straightforward process for fleets, with fleet managers able to automate the process using digital IDs in the future.
Routine licence checking is a crucial part of safety checks, which is why at Driving Monitor, our Licence Monitor is so important.
Plus, all of your employee’s licence data is secure as we’re a member of the Association for Driving Licence Verification.
When Will Digital Licences Go Live?
The DVLA and government are working together to ensure that the rollout of new digital driving licences will go ahead either later in 2025 or early in 2026.
The UK would be following the lead of South Korea, Mexico and Iceland, which have all adopted digital licences in recent years.
It’s believed that the government will also be partnering with major technology providers to ensure that the service is fully functional, secure and fit for purpose as they look to launch this year.
But with data protection and cybersecurity becoming a concerning issue for many big businesses, experts are calling for extra precautions to be taken to ensure the widespread rollout is safe and secure.
How will the changes to digital identification over the coming months and years affect you and your fleet? Are you prepared for digital licences? Let us know…
