It is a little known fact that there are more than 1.2 million uninsured drivers on the road in the UK.

If you have been unlucky enough to encounter an uninsured driver in an accident situation you may, quite rightly, worry about the prospect of obtaining compensation from them. If no insurance company exists, it follows that no compensation can be obtained.

In addition to those drivers that have no insurance, there is a further risk to law abiding road users.

There are more than 350,000 “hit and run” accidents in the UK every year. Most fortunately do not involve personal injury but almost every case will leave the victim with serious doubts about how they will recover compensation for loss, injury or damage.

Motor Insurers’ Bureau

The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) is a non-profit making company, set up by motor insurers and their aim is to compensate victims of both uninsured and untraced drivers.

In addition they are responsible for operating what is known as the Green Card System in the UK, which compensates UK citizens who are the victims of accidents involving foreign registered vehicles either in the UK or abroad.

Paul Dodds Law specialises in MIB claims and we have years of experience in handling these often complex cases to our clients’ complete satisfaction.

Below we have set the key types of claim that the MIB will consider and with which we can offer assistance.

Uninsured driver claims

Claims will be considered for the cost of repairing/replacing your vehicle (only if it is not insured comprehensively), hire charges, loss of use and property damage. Any claim would usually be subject to a £300 excess.

Treatment and/or rehabilitation for personal injury.

Compensation for personal injury, death, or losses arising from personal injury or death (such as lost earnings).

Legal costs are paid by the MIB for this type of accident claim.

Conditions

  • You must make your claim for injury within three years of the accident date.
  • You must make your claim for vehicle/property damage within three years of the accident date in Scotland and within six years in the rest of the UK.
  • You must keep any losses to a minimum (otherwise known as mitigation of losses).
  • You are advised to report the incident to the police within 14 days for personal injury or within five  days for vehicle/property damage.

Untraced driver claims

Claims will be considered for the cost of repairing/replacing your vehicle (only if is not insured comprehensively), hire charges, loss of use and property damage. Any claim would usually be subject to a £300 excess. However this is not payable if the offending vehicle has not been identified .

Treatment and/or rehabilitation for personal injury.

Compensation for personal injury, death, or losses arising from personal injury or death (such as lost earnings).

A contribution towards legal costs, is made by the MIB usually limited to only £500 + VAT. The MIB has restricted legal costs for hit and run cases simply because there is no prospect of taking a non-existent third party to court and this reduces the scope for legal fees to be recovered. *

Conditions

  • You must make your claim for injury within three years of the accident date.
  • You must make your claim for vehicle/property damage within nine months of the accident date.
  • You must keep any losses to a minimum.
  • You must report the incident to the police within 14 days for personal injury or within five days for vehicle/property damage.

* As the MIB only makes a small contribution towards legal costs our clients are asked to enter into an agreement with us at the start of the claim .

If your “hit and run” claim is successful you will receive 75% of the compensation awarded to you by the MIB under the Untraced Driver Scheme. The remaining 25% inclusive of VAT is allocated towards our legal fees.

In fixing the amount we charge, we take account of the contribution we will receive from the MIB, if successful. We also take account of the fact that if the claim is unsuccessful we will not be paid anything at all.

Please also remember that if the MIB reject any claim, there will be no charge for costs, as Paul Dodds Law deal with all such cases on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis.

Contact us now on 0191 2636200 if you require help making a claim. We have a team of specialist solicitors who will support and advise you throughout the claims process.

Further information

To speak to a member of our Personal Injury team, in confidence call 0191 2636200.

Or email us directly on: office@pauldodds.co.uk.