On Monday afternoon I was rear-ended by a Mazda driven by a man in his thirties. We were at a set of lights, they changed to green we all started to move off when one of the cars in front stopped for some reason. I braked but the man behind didn't. Not a fast speed but enough to smash the light on the trailer and bend one of the parts on the tower.
I reported the matter to my insurers and while on the telephone to them I decided to do a DVLA vehicle check. This revealed that the car had neither MOT nor Road Fund Licence, both having expired on the 28th of February last year. It's not possible to find out if the driver has insurance online
I visited a local police station and they said they did not have access to the Motor Insurance Database and even if they had they would not be able to inform me. I called the police force that covered the area where the accident took place and they took the details but the woman on the end of the 101 line seemed slightly puzzled. My thinking was that if didn't have the first two he might have gone for the "set".
Given the number of uninsured drivers on the road one would have though the police would have been pleased to have been contacted.
I await some information from the police but I am not holding my breath.
Please visit the Club's website https://www.dloc.org.uk/ to join. Visit https://www.dloc.org.uk/adhoc to DONATE towards the cost of the forum.
Please don't post someone's email address to avoid it being harvested by spambots and it's against GDPR regulations.
Always look at "ACTIVE TOPICS" to see all posts in date & time order as they are sometimes moved; or look at "Your Posts".
Please add Reg. nrs. when posting a photo or anything about a car as this will help searches. Don't add punctuation next to nr. as this negates search.
CHANGED YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS since registering?, click your username and check your address in User Control Panel, Profile, Account Settings.
If you want help to register, use "contact us" at page bottom for help.
Please don't post someone's email address to avoid it being harvested by spambots and it's against GDPR regulations.
Always look at "ACTIVE TOPICS" to see all posts in date & time order as they are sometimes moved; or look at "Your Posts".
Please add Reg. nrs. when posting a photo or anything about a car as this will help searches. Don't add punctuation next to nr. as this negates search.
CHANGED YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS since registering?, click your username and check your address in User Control Panel, Profile, Account Settings.
If you want help to register, use "contact us" at page bottom for help.
Uninsured driver
Re: Uninsured driver
I have not used it but according to the Motor Insurance Database website you can, if you have been involved in an accident and for a small fee of £4, enquire about the insurance status of another vehicle.
Here is the link to the website form: http://www.askmid.com/askmidenquiry.aspx
Here is the link to the website form: http://www.askmid.com/askmidenquiry.aspx
-
- Extremely Wise Man
- Posts: 1369
- Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2016 11:15 pm
- Location: Aberystwyth Wales
Re: Uninsured driver
Sorry to hear of your damage New Dexter, no help to say it could have been much worse, there seems to be an increased number of uninsured no MOT vehicles on the road of late, our local paper has one almost every week, don't suppose it could be anything to do with no visible tax disc perhaps.
Its easy to hide behind a clear windscreen, a lot harder to hide when the tax disk is the wrong colour.
Big mistake in my view. Syd
Its easy to hide behind a clear windscreen, a lot harder to hide when the tax disk is the wrong colour.
Big mistake in my view. Syd
-
- Wise Man
- Posts: 555
- Joined: Fri Feb 12, 2016 9:41 am
Re: Uninsured driver
Thank you both your advice and commiserations. I had considered the MIB route but was puzzled why it's possible to find MOT and RFL details but not insurance.
However, I had DAS on the telephone this afternoon. They handle claims for my insurers and the woman informed me that they had checked the third party vehicle, as they do have access to the MIB database and found that the driver does not appear to have insurance. She did add though that it possible for him to have insurance only recently and this information might not yet have added to the MIB database.
I had contacted the relevant police force yesterday and they had said they would pass on the details to their colleagues. I called the police force again this afternoon and the control room man informed me that the information had been sent out to the local police station but added that "They would have to see it being driven" Really? I told him that even if stationary on the roadside it should have RFL which it can't have if it isn't insured. Surely, given that it's been involved in a RTA even if it's on his driveway they can ask to see his insurance details?
Now that we don't have to display a RFL disc, which saved the Exchequer £4m, it's cost more than that because drivers are choosing not to pay for RFL. This has, allegedly, cost £16m in lost revenue. Time to bring back the disc methinks.
However, I had DAS on the telephone this afternoon. They handle claims for my insurers and the woman informed me that they had checked the third party vehicle, as they do have access to the MIB database and found that the driver does not appear to have insurance. She did add though that it possible for him to have insurance only recently and this information might not yet have added to the MIB database.
I had contacted the relevant police force yesterday and they had said they would pass on the details to their colleagues. I called the police force again this afternoon and the control room man informed me that the information had been sent out to the local police station but added that "They would have to see it being driven" Really? I told him that even if stationary on the roadside it should have RFL which it can't have if it isn't insured. Surely, given that it's been involved in a RTA even if it's on his driveway they can ask to see his insurance details?
Now that we don't have to display a RFL disc, which saved the Exchequer £4m, it's cost more than that because drivers are choosing not to pay for RFL. This has, allegedly, cost £16m in lost revenue. Time to bring back the disc methinks.
-
- Wise Man
- Posts: 847
- Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2016 1:25 pm
- Location: Worcestershire Herefordshire border
Re: Uninsured driver
If you go on the askMID website and type in reg number it will tell you if it's insured.
Sorry just realised you know that anyway now.
Sorry just realised you know that anyway now.
Andy
1954 Conquest Mk1, 1956 Conquest Mk2, 1957 Conquest Century Mk2, 1955 Austin A90 Westminster
1954 Conquest Mk1, 1956 Conquest Mk2, 1957 Conquest Century Mk2, 1955 Austin A90 Westminster
-
- Site Admin
- Posts: 244
- Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 10:52 am
- Location: Wellington Somerset
Re: Uninsured driver
I believe if a car has no MOT then they have no insurance cover as the car is not roadworthy, I am not sure how our classics stand though not having a MOT certificate.
Re: Uninsured driver
I think John that if car that should have an MOT does not have one but does have insurance that the insurance is not totally invalidated, damage to 3rd parties would be indemnified by the insurer but damage to the insured's own car will probably be declined. The insurer may then seek to recover their costs from their client.
Classic cars that are not required to have an MOT do not need one and the insurance is not affected unless there is a defect rendering the car unroadworthy. That would be for the insurance company to prove. The assumption and the rationale behind dispensing with MOTs on classic cars is that they are better maintained than the average car and it would be for an insurance company to prove otherwise. Less than 2% of all accidents are attributed to a vehicle defect.
Classic cars that are not required to have an MOT do not need one and the insurance is not affected unless there is a defect rendering the car unroadworthy. That would be for the insurance company to prove. The assumption and the rationale behind dispensing with MOTs on classic cars is that they are better maintained than the average car and it would be for an insurance company to prove otherwise. Less than 2% of all accidents are attributed to a vehicle defect.
Re: Uninsured driver
Latest Government figures show that the number of unlicensed vehicles on the road has tripled since the paper tax disc was abolishedSydsmith wrote: ↑Wed Apr 11, 2018 5:36 pm Sorry to hear of your damage New Dexter, no help to say it could have been much worse, there seems to be an increased number of uninsured no MOT vehicles on the road of late, our local paper has one almost every week, don't suppose it could be anything to do with no visible tax disc perhaps.
Its easy to hide behind a clear windscreen, a lot harder to hide when the tax disk is the wrong colour.
Big mistake in my view. Syd
The data shows that the government potentially lost out on £107m from 755,000 unlicensed vehicles last year.
The measure was meant to have saved the Treasury £10m.
That went well then. I wonder which civil servant dreamt up this great idea and if he or she is still in position!
-
- Extremely Wise Man
- Posts: 1369
- Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2016 11:15 pm
- Location: Aberystwyth Wales
Re: Uninsured driver
If it seems silly it is silly, I lost count of the folks who before it happened predicted the silly decision to dispose of the tax disc would cause a rise in default, it was not rocket science, the police have ANR systems but no time to enforce them, it can only get worse.
Some silly person is now proposing a 20 mph limit to replace the 30 MPH limit in towns and cities, the police cannot cope with enforcing 30 MPH how will they do with 20 MPH?
A change may well do what proposers suggest but only if it is enforced and backed with effective policing.
OOP's gone way off subject, sorry New Dexter, but it is associated with your problem, sort of.
Some silly person is now proposing a 20 mph limit to replace the 30 MPH limit in towns and cities, the police cannot cope with enforcing 30 MPH how will they do with 20 MPH?
A change may well do what proposers suggest but only if it is enforced and backed with effective policing.
OOP's gone way off subject, sorry New Dexter, but it is associated with your problem, sort of.
-
- Site Admin
- Posts: 244
- Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 10:52 am
- Location: Wellington Somerset
Re: Uninsured driver
Hi Chris, just checked and found this to clear this up so answers the original question at the top of the page.
Invalid insurance
Without a current MOT, your car insurance would become invalid. Not having a valid MOT certificate is illegal under Section 47 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and you run the risk of facing a £1,000 fine and a charge of six to eight penalty points on your licence by driving without one.
Not only that but if you have an accident and don’t have an up-to-date MOT certificate, you’ll be liable to cover the costs. The average claim is likely to be much more than the cost of your missed test so it’s well worth making sure you’re up to date with your MOT. Especially as if you’re convicted of driving without a valid certificate, your insurance premiums could go up when it gets time to renew again.
Invalid insurance
Without a current MOT, your car insurance would become invalid. Not having a valid MOT certificate is illegal under Section 47 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and you run the risk of facing a £1,000 fine and a charge of six to eight penalty points on your licence by driving without one.
Not only that but if you have an accident and don’t have an up-to-date MOT certificate, you’ll be liable to cover the costs. The average claim is likely to be much more than the cost of your missed test so it’s well worth making sure you’re up to date with your MOT. Especially as if you’re convicted of driving without a valid certificate, your insurance premiums could go up when it gets time to renew again.