Whilst it is compulsory for all vehicles to have motor insurance not all drivers comply with this legal requirement. Where such drivers are involved in road traffic accidents with other vehicles and are at fault, this potentially leaves others injured and without recourse to an insurer for the liable driver. There are also unfortunately times where drivers who have been involved in accidents leave the scene without exchanging details with an injured person.
In such circumstances the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (‘MIB’) may be able to assist. The MIB is a non-profit making company which has entered in to agreements with the UK Government to compensate victims of road traffic accidents where the liable driver is uninsured or untraced. The funds used to compensate victims are from contributions made by motor insurers in the UK. Every motor insurer in the UK must contribute to the MIB. The MIB website states that it is estimated that uninsured and untraced drivers kill 120 people and injure 29,000 every year.
The MIB is an insurer of last resort and this means that investigations will firstly need to be made to ascertain whether an insurer for the driver / vehicle can be identified first before a claim is submitted to the MIB. If no insurer is found for the driver, or the details of the driver / vehicle are unknown, a claim can be submitted to the MIB for consideration.
There is a scheme specifically for uninsured drivers and a scheme for untraced drivers. The scheme for untraced drivers is relevant where a person has been a victim of a ‘hit and run’ accident where the liable driver fails to stop following an accident and the innocent victim does not have any details of the driver / vehicle registration number.
There are specific procedural requirements to comply with when submitting a claim to the MIB and it is therefore important to seek advice if you have been injured as a result of a road traffic accident and are considering making a claim for personal injury.
If you require assistance with making a personal injury claim please do not hesitate to contact our specialist solicitors at JNP Legal on 01685 350421 (Merthyr Tydfil Office), 01443 450561 (Nelson Office) or 02920 763211 (Cardiff Office) or contact us via e-mail on pi@jnplegal.org.
JNP Legal are leading law specialists who can assist with all your legal needs in a discreet and professional manner.
We are open Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm in our Merthyr Tydfil and Nelson offices and to ensure maximum convenience to all of you that may need our help and guidance on a Saturday morning 9am – 12pm in our Merthyr Tydfil office.
We offer home visits to those clients who are unable to attend our offices in person and we pride ourselves on offering first class client care.
If you need assistance in relation to any of the issues raised in this blog please call us on 01685 350421 or 01443 450561 or E Mail: Law@jnplegal.org and we will do our very best to provide you with the legal assistance you require.
JNP Legal 