'What can I do if I am hit by an uninsured driver?'
Being involved in a road traffic accident can be a traumatic enough experience in itself. But what can you do if the person at fault for the accident turns out to have no insurance?
Recent findings have shown that as many as 200,000 drivers across the UK have points on their licence for driving without insurance; this information coming courtesy of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists). The FOI request revealed that 194,997 full licence holders and 31,806 provisional licence holders have been caught driving without vehicle insurance and have received points for doing so. The figure equates to more than one in every 200 people with a full UK driving license having been penalised for driving without insurance. As such, the chance of being involved in an accident with an uninsured driver is a very real prospect for Britain’s motorists.
If you are unfortunate enough to be injured as a result of a road traffic accident, which was not your fault, regardless of whether the driver at fault was insured, then you may be entitled to make a personal injury compensation claim.
However, the way in which you make your accident compensation claim is slightly different than it would normally be.
A situation that is becoming increasingly common is for the person at fault for the accident not to be insured on the vehicle they are driving but the vehicle is insured for someone else to drive. In such circumstances the insurance company may still be willing to deal with your claim for injury compensation even though they do not insure the driver. This decision, however, will be down to the discretion of the insurance company involved.
If they are not willing to deal with your claim or if there is no insurance policy covering the vehicle at all, the only option would be to make a claim through the Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB).
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) is an organisation which deals with claims for innocent members of the public who have been injured or had their property damaged by an uninsured or untraced driver. Whilst it is possible for victims to deal with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau directly, the process may be a complicated and lengthy and most people prefer to have professional legal assistance with this.
At Vincents Solicitors we can deal with claims involving uninsured drivers on a no-win-no-fee basis. If you have been injured as a result of an accident with an uninsured driver or a stolen vehicle, which was not your fault contact us on 01772 555 176 for more information.