MID and Police
When you pay for your car insurance and they tell you it is insured, they are supposed to put that on Motor Insurance Database (MID) and I suspect some form of that is uploaded on Police systems.
What I am finding and hearing from various people is that they get stopped by the police as car is being shown uninsured on MID. The police have a zero-tolerance policy and will impound your car there and then. If you produce any form of insurance documentation they will dismiss it; they only take the database as the defacto record. My understanding is that if you show them proof of insurance then they have to contact the insurance company to clear the discrepency. However, most often than not they will not they do that and will take your vehivcle before you can say 'unfair'.
Now, the problem is that the insurance companies are sometimes slow to update the database; they can take sevaral days sometimes. On other occassions they will cancel your insurance after a slight problem (eg: a missed direct debit) and will not tell you in time.
Apart from hearing horror stories from various people, I myself came across this issue. Last week I renewed my long-standing insurance, on Friday morning; made the payment and got documents via email. I assumed I was all insured and good to go. Whilst out and about on sunday, I was waiting in the car for someone; being bored and out of curiousty I checked the MID using my mobile - and hey, my car was showing as uninsured. Damn, how do I get home, I thought. Anyway I took the risk and drove home and was lucky enough not to be picked up by police. I telephoned the insurance company. They said that I was formally and legally insured but they could not explain why MID had not been updated. It was eventually updated on Monday afternoon. Had I been seen by the police over the weekend I would definitely have lost my vehicle.
What is going on here? Is this some kind of scam between insurance companies, police, recovery and compound companies?
What I am finding and hearing from various people is that they get stopped by the police as car is being shown uninsured on MID. The police have a zero-tolerance policy and will impound your car there and then. If you produce any form of insurance documentation they will dismiss it; they only take the database as the defacto record. My understanding is that if you show them proof of insurance then they have to contact the insurance company to clear the discrepency. However, most often than not they will not they do that and will take your vehivcle before you can say 'unfair'.
Now, the problem is that the insurance companies are sometimes slow to update the database; they can take sevaral days sometimes. On other occassions they will cancel your insurance after a slight problem (eg: a missed direct debit) and will not tell you in time.
Apart from hearing horror stories from various people, I myself came across this issue. Last week I renewed my long-standing insurance, on Friday morning; made the payment and got documents via email. I assumed I was all insured and good to go. Whilst out and about on sunday, I was waiting in the car for someone; being bored and out of curiousty I checked the MID using my mobile - and hey, my car was showing as uninsured. Damn, how do I get home, I thought. Anyway I took the risk and drove home and was lucky enough not to be picked up by police. I telephoned the insurance company. They said that I was formally and legally insured but they could not explain why MID had not been updated. It was eventually updated on Monday afternoon. Had I been seen by the police over the weekend I would definitely have lost my vehicle.
What is going on here? Is this some kind of scam between insurance companies, police, recovery and compound companies?
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When you pay for your car insurance and they tell you it is insured, they are supposed to put that on Motor Insurance Database (MID) and I suspect some form of that is uploaded on Police systems.
What I am finding and hearing from various people is that they get stopped by the police as car is being shown uninsured on MID. The police have a zero-tolerance policy and will impound your car there and then. If you produce any form of insurance documentation they will dismiss it; they only take the database as the defacto record. My understanding is that if you show them proof of insurance then they have to contact the insurance company to clear the discrepency. However, most often than not they will not they do that and will take your vehivcle before you can say 'unfair'.
Now, the problem is that the insurance companies are sometimes slow to update the database; they can take sevaral days sometimes. On other occassions they will cancel your insurance after a slight problem (eg: a missed direct debit) and will not tell you in time.
Apart from hearing horror stories from various people, I myself came across this issue. Last week I renewed my long-standing insurance, on Friday morning; made the payment and got documents via email. I assumed I was all insured and good to go. Whilst out and about on sunday, I was waiting in the car for someone; being bored and out of curiousty I checked the MID using my mobile - and hey, my car was showing as uninsured. Damn, how do I get home, I thought. Anyway I took the risk and drove home and was lucky enough not to be picked up by police. I telephoned the insurance company. They said that I was formally and legally insured but they could not explain why MID had not been updated. It was eventually updated on Monday afternoon. Had I been seen by the police over the weekend I would definitely have lost my vehicle.
What is going on here? Is this some kind of scam between insurance companies, police, recovery and compound companies?
Conspiracy theory cobblers. I was stopped about twelve months ago just aft buying a car, insured, taxed, MOTd, and the policeman simply radioed through to control, who rang the insurer, and confirmed I was covered. Done and dusted in ten minutes.
I suspect anyone who finds that the police 'don't have time' may well have failed the attitude test.
And a missed Direct Debit for insurance isn't a 'minor problem'. You're expecting the insurer to poppy up a ful year's cover on tick and to pay it back over twelve months - don't pay, and the insurance is cancelled; what's so unfair about that?0 -
I think you are getting a little paranoid if you think that slow updates of the MID are a grand conspiracy theory between insurance companies, impound yards and the police to make money, especially given the lack of traffic and response police across country. I don't know why updates are slow but the MID isn't the only police system or police related system which is slow as both mags court results and PNC often take a day or two to update with some crimes and convictions.
I also take issue with 'zero tolerance approach' to uninsured cars. Along with many colleagues I have gone out of my way to help people get their cars home if they are uninsured unless the offence or driving standards are such that I have to take a more strict approach. I'll often allow arrangements to be made for another legal driver to move the car or to give the owner the benefit of doubt if they have proof of insurance even if it isn't on the MID, although they will still leave with a HORTI so they will have to provide more proof later.0 -
BeenThroughItAll wrote: »Conspiracy theory cobblers. I was stopped about twelve months ago just aft buying a car, insured, taxed, MOTd, and the policeman simply radioed through to control, who rang the insurer, and confirmed I was covered. Done and dusted in ten minutes.
Sounds like you were stopped during office hours, might have been a different story had you been stopped late at night or early in the morning. But on the other side of the coin I suppose if it turns out you aren't insured, they let you on your way and you wipe out a convents worth of nuns they'd be in a spot of bother.0 -
What is going on here? Is this some kind of scam between insurance companies, police, recovery and compound companies?
Yes, absolutely. And local chinese restaurants are in on it too.
The police get a back hander from the recovery and compound companies but as they cant take cash, they get it as a free carry out from their local chinese.
The police wait until the insurance companies offices close @ 17:00, knowing they have until 18:00 when their get their dinner break on shift to find a car that "uninsured".
The evidence of it is right in front of us. Why do you think so many police men are overweight? Its a "scam" that started out in America, where this is now the typical size of a policeman
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The police have a zero-tolerance policy and will impound your car there and then. If you produce any form of insurance documentation they will dismiss it; they only take the database as the defacto record. My understanding is that if you show them proof of insurance then they have to contact the insurance company to clear the discrepency.
Your understanding is wrong.
If you show evidence of insurance (a certificate naming you and covering use of that car) then they have to accept that and allow you to go on your way. If they don't and it transpires that you did indeed have insurance then it's an unlawful seizure.
The law's quite clear on that and, if they don't, you'll be entitled to sue for any losses incurred because of the unlawful seizure - not necessarily limited to the cost of recovering the car.0 -
Joe_Horner wrote: »Your understanding is wrong.
....
That's certainly not what happens on Police Interceptors. Or any of those other similar programme. Cars do flash up as not insured on ANPR, drivers do insist that they are insured, and sometimes they're even right. Perhaps it's because they know they're on TV, but the boys and girls in uniform do seem to carry out some form of investigation.:)0 -
Yes, absolutely. And local chinese restaurants are in on it too.
The police get a back hander from the recovery and compound companies but as they cant take cash, they get it as a free carry out from their local chinese.
The police wait until the insurance companies offices close @ 17:00, knowing they have until 18:00 when their get their dinner break on shift to find a car that "uninsured".
The evidence of it is right in front of us. Why do you think so many police men are overweight? Its a "scam" that started out in America, where this is now the typical size of a policeman
Your post is obviously tongue in cheek, but the BIB is seemingly not that far from the truth.
http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2010/11/23/west-midlands-police-pay-out-1-3m-for-breakdown-tip-offs/0 -
That's certainly not what happens on Police Interceptors. Or any of those other similar programme. Cars do flash up as not insured on ANPR, drivers do insist that they are insured, and sometimes they're even right. Perhaps it's because they know they're on TV, but the boys and girls in uniform do seem to carry out some form of investigation.:)
What's supposed to happen is:- You get tugged.
- You show certificate (still the only official evidence that's accepted at the roadside).
- They let you on your way.
- If they have doubts then they're perfectly free to make inquiries and come and arrest you later if it turns out the certificate was duff. At which point driving without insurance is likely to be the least of your worries.
It's been tested in court and clearly confirmed that if you show a (valid) certificate that does cover then a seizure is unlawful even if the insurance company concerned is called and mistakenly says there's no cover.
At the roadside a valid certificate trumps the call centre wallah.0 - You get tugged.
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Joe_Horner wrote: »What's supposed to happen is:
- You get tugged.
- You show certificate (still the only official evidence that's accepted at the roadside).
- They let you on your way.
- If they have doubts then they're perfectly free to make inquiries and come and arrest you later if it turns out the certificate was duff. At which point driving without insurance is likely to be the least of your worries.
It's been tested in court and clearly confirmed that if you show a (valid) certificate that does cover then a seizure is unlawful even if the insurance company concerned is called and mistakenly says there's no cover.
At the roadside a valid certificate trumps the call centre wallah.
This seems odd though as one can obtain a certificate of insurance by paying one months insurance and then cancel the policy. The certificate is then a worthless piece of paper and the police would be wrong to accept it at face value.0 - You get tugged.
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Your post is obviously tongue in cheek, but the BIB is seemingly not that far from the truth.
http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2010/11/23/west-midlands-police-pay-out-1-3m-for-breakdown-tip-offs/
And halfway down that story in our astute local rag (of 7 years ago)
:rotfl:Rolf Harris 'spotted walking outside Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital'Tall, dark & handsome. Well two out of three ain't bad.0
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