Background to MID and Uninsured Driving in the UK

Britain has one of the worst uninsured driving problems in Europe. It is currently estimated that there are over 1 million vehicles circulating in the United Kingdom at any one time without proper insurance - that equates to approximately 1 in 20 vehicles.

In 1999 the number of convictions for uninsured driving in England, Scotland and Wales alone was 274,000 - in over 60% of these cases the guilty party is fined, the fine often being less than the premium itself.

Victims of accidents caused by uninsured drivers still need to be compensated and the Motor Insurers' Bureau ensures that this is done for substantial claims.

The costs of these claims are passed back to insurance companies and then to their policyholders as higher premiums.

Uninsured and under-insured drivers cost the honest policyholder in excess of £600 million per year and that figure is growing sharply. That means that every insured driver pays between £15 and £30 per year extra to fund those who do not take out insurance… and the problem is growing at a dramatic rate.

The Motor Insurance Database (MID) has been established by the insurance industry to combat this crime, and to help the UK comply with the 4th EU Motor Insurance Directive. This requires that insurance details of all vehicles in member states can be easily accessed by a national information centre, which in the UK is the MIIC (Motor Insurers Information Centre).

The development and ongoing management of the Motor Insurance Database will become a key tool in the crusade against the crime of uninsured driving.

For more information about MIIC, MID or the Fourth EU Motor Insurance Directive, please visit www.miic.org.uk