Incorrectly stopped for driving without insurance - are my insurance co in the wrong?

hartcjhart

SORRY all insurance companies have to send details to the central computer,IT IS HOWEVER when the central computer updates,when you were given the 'produce' ticket you had a choice of where to do it,so why after saying that you have had experience of non insured driver are you upset,If you are legal dont worry

piggeh

I believe there's an allowance of 48 hours to update information on the central insurance database (MID). So they probably have done little wrong (although if it automatically renewed I dont know why they'd take the details off).

vikingaero

ruthyjo wrote: »

I'm not that impressed that I was stopped and cautioned if there's a legitimate possibility that I'm insured with a company that does not pass data to the police. The information they had was certainly about no insurance rather than expired insurance. When I come to renew my policy in a mere 364 days I'll ask about updates to the PNC when I'm getting a quote.

Our fleet was "uninsured" for the whole of last year. Whenever we tried to renew the tax online every application was rejected because the insurance details could not be found. With all our cars and vans floating around doing hundreds of thousands of miles not one was stopped by ANPR! We kept on badgering the insurance company to update but they never bothered.

b33r

vikingaero wrote: »

Our fleet was "uninsured" for the whole of last year. Whenever we tried to renew the tax online every application was rejected because the insurance details could not be found. With all our cars and vans floating around doing hundreds of thousands of miles not one was stopped by ANPR! We kept on badgering the insurance company to update but they never bothered.

I think they might be different systems because my mum's never been able to do her tax online and when she rang to ask why they said its because they all (MOT, tax, insurance) fall at the same time so when shed try and do the tax it wouldnt be insured for the period cus she was taxing cus it wouldnt have been renewed yet. However she's same insurance company as me and I can do my tax online and neither of us have ever been stopped by the police computer.

raskazz

ruthyjo wrote: »

My insurance policy automatically renewed yesterday (05/11). This morning on my way to work, on the motorway, but due to volume of traffic travelling only at about 40mph, I was pulled over by a police car which came up behind me with lights flashing etc. The police stated that I had been pulled over because the PNC showed that I was driving without insurance. I was given a form to produce my insurance documents at a police station within seven days.

After a few anxious minutes where I questioned to myself whether the insurance did actually renew automatically or whether I should have done something I was able to confirm with my insurance company that I was insured and having got home and checked I have a valid certificate which I can produce at the police station.

I was pretty upset by the experience and severely delayed in getting to work.

It seems to me that my insurance company have failed to update details of my policy to the PNC. In consequence I've missed a meeting at work, spent half the morning not properly concentrating at work and have a long round trip to my nearest manned police station.

What would be the normal expectation of what the insurance company should do when renewing a policy? Surely most policies would be on the PNC after 24 hours - otherwise approx 1 in 365 drivers would be liable to be stopped incorrectly by the police. If the insurance company have done something remiss I want to complain to them - not because I expect any compensation but just to emphasise the distress and inconvenience their actions have caused.

Firstly, I'm not sure it's technically a 'PNC' issue - more of an issue in relation to the Motor Insurance Database (MID). The MID is a separate body which insurers submit data to; the MID then provides the relevant information to other parties, including the Police.

Insurers have to submit 95% of MID data to the MID within 14 days. This is being altered to 95% in 7 days in January 2008, if I recall correctly.

Prima facie, the insurer has not failed in any way. Whilst it may have been distressing, the insurer has, in all probability, discharged its duties perfectly adequately. Personally, I would be reassured that the authorities are being so diligent in relation to uninsured driving.

ruthyjo wrote: »

I don't feel on the information I have at the moment that the police did anything wrong in stopping me - according to the data they had I was breaking the law.

No, this is not wholly correct. A lack of a postive match on MID does not automatically imply breaking of the law, it merely means that further investigation may be required. The only ultimate proof of cover is a valid Certificate of Insurance. Hence why you were given the producer.

ruthyjo wrote: »

The information they had was certainly about no insurance rather than expired insurance.

The MID does not distinguish between expired/lapsed/cancelled policies. It only gives a confirmation of cover for the registration or 'no match'.

arnie&caseysma! wrote: »

Ruthyjo, unfortunately not all insurance companies supply details of policies to PNC which I think is wrong so it may be that your company is actually one of these and it was showing that insurance was not held rather than it being expired.

All insurers of UK-registered vehicles which are covered by a third party motor insurance policy have to submit the data to the MID.

mattymoo

You can use this site to see if your vehicle is on the MID database that the police use.

http://www.askmid.com/askmid.aspx

Iamthesmartestmanalive

The police officer could have lied

I was once pulled over for no reason or "because the computer says your cars a different colour"

Quickly let go once produced documents etc and their was no computer error

A lot of the time the cops just make up reasons for what is profiling

ruthyjo

hartcjhart wrote: »

SORRY all insurance companies have to send details to the central computer,IT IS HOWEVER when the central computer updates,when you were given the 'produce' ticket you had a choice of where to do it,so why after saying that you have had experience of non insured driver are you upset,If you are legal dont worry

I'm not worrying that I am likely to be accused of driving without insurance - I know I am "legal".

I was given a choice of police station. Because I live in a rural area that entails a round trip of approx 20 miles to my nearest manned police station. It's inconvenient and has a cost in time and fuel attached and if it was down to negligence on the part of my insurance company that I'd been landed with a producer I would let them know how I felt. I originally posted to see if "my insurance co [were] in the wrong" at all.

I'm also worried (although not majorly) that although I am "legal" anyone seeing me pulled over by a marked car with flashing lights would probably think I had done something wrong. I was stopped on a stretch of motorway approaching my office in the morning rush hour and could easily have been seen by colleagues or, even worse, clients.

I've checked the site suggested above and find I am not showing as on the insurance database which does not impress me given that my insurance company are already aware I've been pulled up once.

I'm going to stop dwelling on it now though - thanks everyone for your comments.

raskazz

Don't worry - even if you've drawn your insurer's attention to it, it will not speed up the transfer of data to the MID - it will be updated via an automated batch process; in my experience it is very rare for cover to be showing on MID before 4 or 5 days after the renewal/amendment.