Uninsured and untraced drivers

Martin Nolan
0113 320 5000
info@winstonsolicitors.co.uk

"thank you for the professional,
courteous and efficient way in
which you dealt with my claim"

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) are a non-profit making company set up by motor insurers and their aim is to compensate victims of 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.

Winston Solicitors specialise in MIB claims and we have many years of experience in handling these complex cases to our client's complete satisfaction.

Below we have set out some of the key facts of the 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 such claim would usually be subject to a £300 excess.

Treatment and/or rehabilitation for personal injury.

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

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

Conditions

You must make your claim for injury within 3 years of the accident date.
You must make your claim for vehicle/property damage within 3 years of the accident date in Scotland and within 6 years in the rest of the UK.
You must keep any losses to a minimum.
You are advised to report the incident to the police within 14 days for personal injury or within 5 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 such claim would usually be subject to a £300 excess. This section is not payable however if the offending vehicle has not been identified .

Treatment and/or rehabilitation for personal injury.

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

A contribution towards legal costs, usually limited to only £500 + vat. The MIB have 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 3 years of the accident date.
You must make your claim for vehicle/property damage within 9 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 5 days for vehicle/property damage.

* As the MIB only make 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 for the first £5,000.00 awarded, and you will receive 90% of all compensation awarded to you by the MIB above £5,000.00.

In fixing the amount we charge you 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 Winston Solicitors deal with all such cases on a no win no fee basis.

Contact our Personal Injury solicitors in Leeds if you require help making a claim.

Accidents at work

If your injury occurred whilst you were at work, please click here to see how you may have the right to claim compensation.

This is what one of our clients recently said about our Personal Injury service: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank you both for the professional courteous and efficient way in which you dealt with my claim. Even though there was a significant delay as a result of the complication to my back you respected my views and pursued the case to its fullest extent resulting in a more than satisfactory settlement. I would have no hesitation in recommending you to others who are unfortunate enough to find themselves in a similar position" >>read more

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