Being involved in a road accident – even a small bump – is never a nice experience. Your car is almost certainly damaged, and the whole experience can be shocking, costly, inconvenient and time consuming. But it’s even worse if the person who has collided with you isn’t even insured.
Every time you head off in your car, you are surrounded by fellow motorists, all making their way to their own destination. But incredibly, a million drivers on the UK’s roads don’t have car insurance, according to figures from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB).
That appalling number means that the chances of coming across an uninsured driver are very real – one million equates to around 4% of all drivers. And if you are involved in a road accident – and there are 350 on average every day – it’s possible that you could be hit by someone who has no cover at all.
Studies on uninsured cars show that they are more likely to be involved in a collision – often because they are involved in organised crime. However, hundreds of cases are the result of people simply forgetting to renew their policy. Forgetful, but illegal nonetheless.
And millions of law-abiding, insurance-paying motorists give extra on their own premiums just to offset the costs of accidents involving the uninsured. So you’d expect to have some payback from that if you are involved in a crash with someone who has no cover, or turns out to be a ‘hit-and-run’ driver. And here’s how you might…
Through your own insurer
Often your own insurance company will have a process in place if you are affected by a collision with an uninsured vehicle. You will need to have comprehensive insurance cover to do this and the insurer will require details, such as name and address of the other driver, make, model and registration number of the other car, photos of any damage and details of witnesses.
If you need to check the insurance credentials of the other driver you can request a check from the Motor Insurance Database (MID), which can be found on the MIB website (mib.org.uk). It’s in the section ‘Check Insurance Details’. It can only be done if you have been involved in an accident and is a chargeable service costing £10.
You should also report the accident to the police, telling them that the other driver does not have cover. In all but the most minor of shunts you should tell the police – neglecting to do so could be an offence in itself, with a fine, penalty points or even prison as a result.
Claiming from the MIB
If you only have third party, or third party fire and theft cover you might be able to claim from the MIB for uninsured drivers’ damage. The agency was set up to reduce the number of uninsured drivers on the UK’s roads by working with the police and DVLA licensing authority, and to provide compensation for people affected by this crime.
The MIB website is easy to use and walks you through the claiming process in simple steps.
Hit-and-run
Some uninsured driver accidents involve the other car driving away – a hit-and-run – before the police can get involved. In this instance you might still be able to claim compensation, but there’s some work to be done.
First gather as much evidence as you can that shows the other driver was at fault. This could be dashcam footage, CCTV film from nearby houses or shops or the statements from witnesses. Also, take photos of damage to your car along with skid marks or other markings left on the road if this will support you.
Report the incident to the police and your own insurer and then take the claim to the MIB via their website. Hit-and-run drivers are called ‘untraced’ on the website and can be found on the ‘Making A Claim’ drop down menu.
It’s not a guarantee that you will receive compensation just because another car has driven off. The MIB will work with your insurance company and the police to establish who was at fault in the accident. If any blame is found to be yours – total our partial – the pay-out could be reduced or rejected completely.
No Claims Discount
It’s possible you could lose some or all of your No Claims Discount as a result of an accident with an uninsured driver. It seems harsh, but your insurers will want to recoup some of the money they have paid out as a result of your accident.
Many insurance firms, however, will protect your bonus no matter what happens, and it’s worth checking this with them at the time of buying your policy.
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