The Importance Of Updating The M.I.D – Motor Insurance Database
The Motor Insurance Database (MID) is the only central record of all insured vehicles in the UK and is updated over 10,000 times an hour. As one of the most important tools to ensure that only insured vehicles are driven on our roads, the MID is used by the police and the DVLA to enforce motor insurance laws.
The police use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology with information from the Motor Insurance Database (MID) to identify and catch people driving uninsured vehicles.
More than 500 are seized every day and one person every three minutes is convicted for uninsured driving.
The MID is also systematically compared with the DVLA’s registered keeper records to identify uninsured vehicles from the record.
Our motor traders are able to login to our online portal to update and view their vehicles. This tool wasn’t solely created to make life easier for our traders but to make the process of updating the MID more efficient and speedy.
Having said this there are a vast number of traders that are still not updating their MID records regularly enough and this can result in a lot of complications.
If a vehicle has been sold on but not removed from the MID any claims will automatically will be traced back to that keeper and a claim being initiated.
Hopefully this can be redirected but sometimes this isn’t possible and the implications can be costly.
Insurance companies frequently receive claims for a vehicle where the driver has not stopped at the scene this will result in the vehicle being traced back to the keeper who has left the vehicle on the MID at which point the policyholder will need to prove the vehicle was sold on.
To summarise that means you may still be liable on your insurance for claims involving a vehicle long after you sold it!
By law you are required to provide the Motor Insurers Database (MID) with the make / model and registration numbers of all vehicles that are owned by you and that will be driven, used or parked on a road or public place.
This includes:
– All vehicles permanently owned by you.
– Stock vehicles taxed and in your possession for more than 14 days for the purpose of sale. Whilst you do not need to disclose vehicles held for less than 14 days we would advise that it is in your interest to disclose all vehicles regardless if you intend to use them on the public highway.
Should you be stopped driving a vehicle that has not been put on the database the Police may seize your vehicle for which you will incur costs at a minimum of £150.
– Vehicles driven under Trade Plates. You must also disclose the Trade Plate number.
Failure to disclose all relevant vehicles and trade plates to the MID could result in your vehicle being seized resulting in a seizure fee and could even be crushed.
If you fail to remove a vehicle from your policy it stays on the MID in your name and could mean:
– Lose your No Claims Bonus
– Get a bad claims record
– Pay more for Motor Trade insurance
– Be liable to pay for losses to your Insurer.
Be sure to keep your vehicle records up to date! Unicom customers can do so at no charge, click here for details.
