Uninsured Drivers
The Motor Insurers Bureau MIB is a statutory body, funded by the motor insurance industry, which will, in certain circumstances, compensate the victims of an uninsured driver. It is estimated by the insurance industry that approximately one in twenty private vehicles on the road is not covered by a valid policy of insurance. When a motorist is involved in an accident, it is not safe to simply assume that the other party involved is properly insured because statistics suggest there are good reasons to be cautious.
It is important not to be complacent because sometimes where policy details are produced after an accident, they are not always all they seem. Many drivers are determined to attempt to get away with the offence of driving without insurance. One tactic is for them to take out a policy such that they are issued with an insurance certificate, but then to cancel the policy soon afterwards. However, they then retain a copy of the certificate so that they can produce this at any difficult moment so as to give the impression that all is in order with their cover. They have found out that even if they are asked to produce insurance documents to police, officers working under time pressures are often satisfied with the mere production of documents such as this which appear to suggest that there is valid cover on the car. It is not until much later that the motorist seeking to make a claim finds out the truth that the other driver is uninsured and thereafter has to make claim to the Motor Insurers Bureau.
Soaring premiums in recent years have certainly fuelled the problem, especially for young drivers, to cover "performance" cars or to cover those living in "high risk" areas. Certain post codes have taken on very high risk status for insurers and differentials between neighbouring districts have widened in terms of quotes for premiums. Where these factors come into play, it is not uncommon for the cost of an annual premium to match the estimated market value of the car itself. Unsurprisingly, many are tempted into simply not taking out a policy and to take their chances of not getting caught. Some will deliberately give false information on their proposal form, perhaps failing to declare previous accidents or convictions or giving false addresses to avoid high premiums. Such things can lead to policies being invalidated. In these cases anyone involved in an accident with an uninsured driver has the choice of either suing in the County Court or making a claim to the MIB.
For many years there has been a black market trade in stolen cover notes, bought and sold by unscrupulous drivers for production if required, again to give the impression that there is valid cover on a vehicle. Cover notes are issued by brokers as a means of showing that cover has been granted on a car although this is a temporary document pending receipt of the full certificate from the insurers.
