MID Database

pogofish

Iceweasel wrote: »

How often do they update the info on their database?

Four times a day (ie 24hrs) according to my solicitors insurance specialist who advised us when I was having bother with my insurer a few years back and were threatening to cancel my cover.

bigjl

Silver-Surfer wrote: »

Why is proof of ID going to make them believe it's not a fake?

Policy dictates they can't seize the vehicle if he produces proof of insurance, so he'll be left to drive off and if they don't believe him they'll need to phone the insurance company or MIB during office hours.

Even by viewing just a few of those real life Police programs you will see people getting their cars taken based on MID details.

I suspect it may be decided by local policy rather than national
Policy.

I know in London when ANPR and MID was becoming widely
used they started impounding loads of cars in East London.

It quickly became too expensive to atore the cars as the owners wouldn't bother to collect them leaving the Met to pay for removal and storage.

Not sure how they resolved that issue to be honest.

I was actually surprised to watch a Copper impound a car on TV when the driver had no Cert and MID no insurance, as I would also have thought a 7 day wonder would be the plan.

Can't remember if it was Interceptors or one of the others, I just caught the last few minutes before watching a film.

Silver-Surfer_2

bigjl wrote: »

Even by viewing just a few of those real life Police programs you will see people getting their cars taken based on MID details.

I suspect it may be decided by local policy rather than national
Policy.

I know in London when ANPR and MID was becoming widely
used they started impounding loads of cars in East London.

It quickly became too expensive to atore the cars as the owners wouldn't bother to collect them leaving the Met to pay for removal and storage.

Not sure how they resolved that issue to be honest.

I was actually surprised to watch a Copper impound a car on TV when the driver had no Cert and MID no insurance, as I would also have thought a 7 day wonder would be the plan.

Can't remember if it was Interceptors or one of the others, I just caught the last few minutes before watching a film.

I bet not many produce a certificate of insurance though.

I bet most polices are the same with regards to production of a certificate, given the fact that section 165 of the road traffic act states.

a constable in uniform requires, under section 165, a person to produce evidence that a motor vehicle is not or was not being driven in contravention of section 143,

the person fails to produce such evidence, and

the constable has reasonable grounds for believing that the vehicle is or was being so driven.

Taking policy out of it, without the above there is no lawful power to seize.

david_a

Even if you have a certificate I would imagine if its not on the database the police will assume you cancelled the policy once you got the certificate.

Silver-Surfer_2

david_a wrote: »

Even if you have a certificate I would imagine if its not on the database the police will assume you cancelled the policy once you got the certificate.

Well they'd need to evidence the reasonable grounds to think that. Given our op is a person of good character the fact the computer say no is not enough.

dacouch

david_a wrote: »

Even if you have a certificate I would imagine if its not on the database the police will assume you cancelled the policy once you got the certificate.

Which could be a costly mistake for their force

Iceweasel

david_a wrote: »

Even if you have a certificate I would imagine if its not on the database the police will assume you cancelled the policy once you got the certificate.

I certainly don't have the blind faith in computers some people have.

I am reminded of the Little Britain 'Computer says no' attitude.

If the police were to assume that the reason that my reg didn't show on the database was because I had cancelled the policy then I would be 'Guilty until proven innocent'.

AdrianC

marlot wrote: »

iceweasel wrote:

...
I've never had much confidence in any gov.uk computer data systems, but is this a frequent occurrence?...

Surely this is an insurance industry issue? I believe DVLA uses the same source as you or me.

Yep. MID is an insurance industry database, which DVLA and the police both access.

If you're drawing a blank doing a MID search yourself, then the problem lies between your insurer and MID. DVLA and the police are acting correctly on the information MID are giving them.

Iceweasel

Bit confused by this. If he can't provide such evidence the car is insured, for instance if Allianz is closed. Then the constable then has reasonable grounds to believe it's being driven without insurance in contravention of section 143. So surely he would have ground to seize.[/QUOTE]

What other evidence can anyone provide, other than their Insurance Certificate.

If an officer chooses to think that me showing a valid in-date certificate that is not supported by the MID is sufficient grounds then they really must have blind faith in computer databases infallibility.

Would their first reaction be to assume that I am committing some deception/crime - or to assume that the MID database is flawed?

AdrianC

Iceweasel wrote: »

What other evidence can anyone provide, other than their Insurance Certificate.

An insurance certificate is utterly worthless.

Somebody may have taken out a policy, been emailed the PDF certificate, then cancelled the policy in the 14-day cooling off period. Or just not bothered paying the next month's premium and had the policy cancelled.

If an officer chooses to think that me showing a valid in-date certificate that is not supported by the MID is sufficient grounds then they really must have blind faith in computer databases infallibility.

Given insurers have a legal responsibility to make sure MID is accurately updated...

Would their first reaction be to assume that I am committing some deception/crime - or to assume that the MID database is flawed?

I'd lay odds that, for every genuine error, there's several uninsured scrotes lying their backsides off.