The Motor Insurers' Bureau, How Does It Work?

The Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) was set up in England in 1946 in order to help compensate victims of hit and run accidents and for those involved with road traffic accidents where the other driver is uninsured.

It is estimated that in the UK, one in every twenty drivers is uninsured giving it one of the worst records in Western Europe. London has been assessed as being the worst area in the country where you are according to population figures, four times more likely to be hit by an uninsured driver. Other highlighted areas are West Midland, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and West Yorkshire

In 2006 alone the crime of uninsured drivers cost the honest motorists in the country more than 350 million pound, and so in 2007 a new helpline was set up for people to inform the MIB of uninsured cars. This new method of controlling the problem was brought in alongside the signing up of 13 new police forces nationwide to the MIB, bringing the total number to 41.

The police can stop and seize any vehicle they believe to be uninsured, including commercial vehicles and once a car has been found to be uninsured by the police it will either be crushed or sold as a result of the MIB's commitment to tackling this growing problem. The MIB has also implemented a system of bankruptcy orders where the uninsured drivers are made to pay the costs of compensation and their recklessness.

The MIB has official agreements with the Government to compensate victims of this problem, and it is funded by up to 30 pounds of every insured drivers premium. Also funded by an obligation for every insurer who is currently underwriting motor insurance, the MIB has funds to combat those affected by this growing problem.

There are strict guidelines for making a claim through the MIB including the reporting of the accident to the police within 5 days of the incident. This applies whether the driver was untraceable or not. Crimes reported to the police should then be brought to the attention of the MIB within nine months in order to make a successful claim.

You, as the victim of this crime, must also be able to identify the vehicle involved in the accident to lodge a claim, and it is important to know that an excess of 300 pounds will be deducted if a claim is made under the untraced driver scheme for property damage.

The MIB also operates within the Green Card System to cover the victims of accidents abroad and to cover those hit in the UK by a foreign registered vehicle. As long as this vehicle originates from a country covered by the Green Card System, the MIB acts as though it were the insurer of that car.

The Green Card system was set up to allow free movement of vehicles within 40 registered countries, the Green Card is not insurance cover in itself, but is proof that the minimum legal requirements for third party liability within the 40 countries are covered by the motorists own insurance.