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Uninsured Drivers
DarrenW - 2/9/05 at 08:47 AM

My wife was driving my car the other day. She is named driver - fully comprehensive and covered for business so totally above board. All 4 of us were in car. Cars in front had stopped. She slowed down nice and safely. Almost came to a stop with a good distance in front and the van behind went into the back of us (Fiat Scudo). It was 6pm, visibility good, dry road.
The driver got out ( i was less than courteuos!) and apologised, said foot had slipped. He appeared shaken when he realised we had baby and 3yr old in car.
Cut a long story short - i wasnt happy with the details he gave me. Called Police. they arrested him at the scene for driving whilst disqualified. Turns out the details he gave me were for a guy that had just bought his van - due for collection next day! He has been charged and was in court today.
It has been confirmed he has no insurance. I dont really want my policy affected if i can help it but will claim on it if i have to. Solicitor is registering claim with MIB. Does anyone have experience of this. I have heard the following - hopefully someone can clarify;

1. Is it true the MIB compensation will be less than insurance company compensation.
2. Will MIB claim take a lot longer to settle?
3. Will MIB settle car repairs?
4. Can i still claim personal injury off my policy if i decide not to go through MIB, will this affect my renewal premiums?


I have asked solicitor this but await their response - im keen to hear your experiences and the best way to maximise my claim whilst keeping everything reasonable and strictly above board.
Even just typing these questions has got my back and neck in agony - wheres those paracetomols????

ned - 2/9/05 at 08:52 AM

Darren,

Glad you and your family are ok. Afraid I can't offer any help on your questions, but am curious as to what the MIB is or stands for, it sounds like it could be useful for others to know this incase they suffer similar unfortunate incidents/accidents.

Thanks,

Ned.

ps if your neck is bad make sure you get to the doctors so they can check you over and make a note of it on your records

[Edited on 2/9/05 by ned]

splitrivet - 2/9/05 at 09:02 AM

They ought to do same as in France, insurance details must be fixed to windscreen,might cut down on some of these bastards riding around costing us all money.
Cheers,
Bob

MikeRJ - 2/9/05 at 09:12 AM

quote:
Originally posted by ned
Darren,

Glad you and your family are ok. Afraid I can't offer any help on your questions, but am curious as to what the MIB is or stands for, it sounds like it could be useful for others to know this incase they suffer similar unfortunate incidents/accidents.


The MIB is the Motor Insurers Bureau. From their web page:

http://www.mib.org.uk/MIB/en/Default.htm

"MIB was established in 1946 as a private company limited by guarantee for the purpose of entering into Agreements with the Government to compensate the victims of negligent uninsured and untraced motorists. Every insurer underwriting compulsory motor insurance is obliged, by virtue of the Road Traffic Act 1988, to be a member of MIB and to contribute to its funding"

They have an FAQ section with the question "Will my claim be paid in full"
http://www.mib.org.uk/NR/exeres/349C7110-4BC8-4809-B374-87F41DC1DB6C.htm


Note that we all pay at least £30 on extra on our premiums to cover the payouts the MIB has to make due to uninsured scum driving on our roads.

Hellfire - 2/9/05 at 12:28 PM

Darren - first things first, good to know you're all ok, that is the main thing.

I've heard stories of (fortunately) only a couple of these instances... it takes forever.

Good luck with it - remember to keep a diary of every event, money transaction and time spent in relation to this incident. Take all names of people you speak to in all instances too.

Good luck... it won't be easy!

sammy - 2/9/05 at 12:43 PM

My girlfriends car was parked outside my old house and got hit by a stolen car.
Bastards tried to run away but I managed to catch one of 'em!
She had to claim off her own insurance, but claimed back the excess she had to pay out from the MIB.

But it took ages! After lots of chasing up she had just about given up getting the excess back off the MIB when a cheque did eventually arrive. Took well over a year if I remember.

aweekes1 - 2/9/05 at 04:45 PM

It might be worth trying to sue the c**t that drove into you. If he has been convicted it shouldn't be too hard? Send the bailiffs around to take his house!!!

JoelP - 2/9/05 at 05:25 PM

a good insurance company like direct line might pay out and recoop their losses directly from the MIB.

The bottom line is that this individual should repay the MIB via an 'attachment to earnings', but i somehow find this unlikely...

Good luck anyway.

Mark Allanson - 2/9/05 at 10:04 PM

Word of warning - don't trust ANYTHING the MIB say unless it is in writing and has been verified as correct by a solicitor.

They will offload responsibility onto ANYONE if they can, they don't care who, could be you, the repairer, a witness, a jehovah's witness, a relative of the uninsured driver, ......

They are not necessarily the answer to your problems