MIB comes to the rescue if you're hit by an uninsured driver

It is against the law to drive without insurance on UK roads. However there are still many people out there who drive uninsured. Most of us do not realise the problem these drivers causes until we find ourselves in a situation where we are involved in an accident with a driver who does not have any insurance cover.

Many insurers will have exceptions specified on their policy to exclude claims relating to uninsured drivers. This is because they will not be able to get the money back from the third party if the driver does not have car insurance in the first place.

If you are hit by a driver who has valid car insurance, the claim side of things will be straightforward. However if the driver is not insured, then things get really complicated. Having to pay for an accident which is not your fault in the first place is harsh and dealing with the trauma can be dreadful as well but there are things which you can do to ease the pain.

What can victims of an uninsured driver do?

The very first thing you should do is get all the information about the driver and the vehicle he's driving - name and address, vehicle registration number, witnesses details, pictures of accident etc. Then you need to report the accident to the police (for personal injury claims, you need to report it within 14 days and for property damage claims within 5 days).

If you have been injured in any way, you need to go to your GP or the hospital so that the medical notes can be used as solid proof of injury.

Even though insurance companies will refuse claims arising from drivers who do not have car insurance in place, you can still make a claim to the Motor Insurer's Bureau (MIB). A while back, the MIB used to deal only with personal injury claims but nowadays they will also take into consideration claims for vehicle repairs and property damage. It is very important to have a police case number when contacting the MIB and you're more likely to have a successful claim if you appoint an MIB claims lawyer to deal with your case.

Your claim will go into one of the 2 categories they have - for cases where the driver did not have valid insurance, it will go under the Uninsured Drivers Agreement and for situations where it was a hit and run, it will go under the Untraced Drivers Agreement. You will be given the right compensation for personal injury or damages provided you have a solid case put forward to the MIB, hence it's crucial that you get in touch with a solicitor who has experience dealing with MIB claims.