Are you on the National Motor Insurance Database?

[DIYDANDY]

Just watched an edition of Watchdog on BBC iplayer.

Hundreds, if not thousands of people each year are having their cars confiscated by the Police because their insurance details do not appear on the National Motor Insurers Database (MID).

If you want to avoid the same thing, check to see (on line) if your details have been uploaded.

This mostly seems to happen for short periods after you renew your insurance, but it happened to one chap interviewed four months after he renewed his insurance.

You can check to see if you are on the system HERE. Free of charge.

If you are involved in an accident, you can check to see if the other vehicle is insured for a small fee.

 

[oompah]

Hundreds, if not thousands of people each year are having their cars confiscated by the Police because their insurance details do not appear on the National Motor Insurers Database (MID).

Surely once you have insured your vehicle and can produce a certificate you are ok or don't they accept this unless your on a bloody computer some where.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Hundreds, if not thousands of people each year are having their cars confiscated by the Police because their insurance details do not appear on the National Motor Insurers Database (MID).

Surely once you have insured your vehicle and can produce a certificate you are ok or don't they accept this unless your on a bloody computer some where.

No, uninsured drivers have a habit of insuring a car legitimately in order to obtain a certificate and then just cancel the policy and keep the certificate.

 

[DIYDANDY]

Hundreds, if not thousands of people each year are having their cars confiscated by the Police because their insurance details do not appear on the National Motor Insurers Database (MID).

Surely once you have insured your vehicle and can produce a certificate you are ok or don't they accept this unless your on a bloody computer some where.

If you (I don't) carry your paperwork with you, you will be fine.

Sorry, the hundred if not thousands should have referred to police stops not confiscations. Some police will give you seven days to produce. However, some won't and your car will be towed away and you will have to pay in excess of £100 to get it back.

 

[oompah]

So in reality its not worth the paper its written on,if you're involved in any kind of motoring offence are you not requested to produce documents any more within 7 days I seem to recall.

 

[oompah]

If you (I don't) carry your paperwork with you, you will be fine.
Some police will give you seven days to produce. However, some won't and your car will be towed away and you will have to pay in excess of £100 to get it back.

Well I'll go to the foot of the stairs,I have never carried my documents or license.

 

[joinerjohn]

I never carry my licence, insurance nor MOT certificate with me. Have been stopped plenty of times over the years and only had a produce once. Nowadays, the police know whether your car is MOT'd, insured , and with a few careful questions, can tell within minutes whether your licensed to drive or not.
As for the insurance, even if you bought a new car and insured it that morning, they have all insurance companies phone numbers and can phone them from the roadside to check.

 

[DIYDANDY]

I never carry my licence, insurance nor MOT certificate with me. Have been stopped plenty of times over the years and only had a produce once. Nowadays, the police know whether your car is MOT'd, insured , and with a few careful questions, can tell within minutes whether your licensed to drive or not.
As for the insurance, even if you bought a new car and insured it that morning, they have all insurance companies phone numbers and can phone them from the roadside to check.

Not when the office is closed.

 

[conny]

Used to know a few coppers and one of them advised me NEVER carry your documents either in the car or on your person.
If your car gets stolen/broke into, or you get mugged they have a lot of 'proof' to commit a crime in your name. Even after you have notified those concerned they can and will produce those documents to obtain goods/services. How often have you used your licence/insurance papers/electric bill etc in Currys and had them verified while you wait? Especially when you are picking the item up there and then rather than getting it delivered. No one has ever checked mine out, just looked and took the details.

 

[Mw Roofline]

If you are involved in an accident, you can check to see if the other vehicle is insured for a small fee.

Don't you just enter their reg number into it as well? lol

 

[DIYDANDY]

If you are involved in an accident, you can check to see if the other vehicle is insured for a small fee.

Don't you just enter their reg number into it as well? lol

You can but you would (the site suggests) be committing an offence.

Besides, that would only tell you that the vehicle is insured, it would not tell you who is insured.

 

[Mw Roofline]

Just checked mine F15 REV

 

[libby lou lou]

FFSs sake you lot are living in the dark ages, this was common knowledge at least 5 yrs ago Grass yer neighbours etc.

 

[nickso]

FFSs sake you lot are living in the dark ages, this was common knowledge at least 5 yrs ago Grass yer neighbours etc.

have you been grassed yet leech?

 

[Mickymoody]

The ANPR system is linked into a database, that might be out of sync for upto 7 days, at best a few hours. I've had the quoted website bookmarked for ages, as I've been caught out, but for a different reason. And the website should really be restricted, as you can type anyones reg number into it, for no charge, and find out their name, and thus find out further information about someone, without their knowledge.

I inadvertently broke the rules, when going on holiday across Europe in my car, passport - check, bulbkit - check, hi-vis jackets check, as required abroad, couldn't find the MOT certificate, as abroad all documents are required to be held in the vehicle. It transpired that the MOT had run out days before, when I was abroad, so I booked it in for an MOT back in the UK on my return. So in theory, I was legal, as I was taking the vehicle to the test station, but via an indirect route. So the police could have impounded the vehicle.

The thing with Watchdog is that they highlighted 3 cases, for the 30 million drivers in the country, in which the police should have done better checks, and didn't. It's useless to say, oh it was 0300 hours, and we couldn't get in touch with anyone, the insurance business has a 24 hour access, so if you crash, you get assistance. So it's down to police incompetence.

My personal experience is that I had a classic car, stored on private land, that was SORN'ed, with a big sticker in the window saying that, and the police towed it. I rang the police to report it stolen, and they said, no we towed it, and I asked why, and they said, not private land. So I got the council, that used to own the land to confirm land boundaries, to liase with police, and the police backed down, returned the car, and recinded the tow charge. But in the process of it being removed, the tow company destroyed the front bumper of the car, and side skirts, THEY took photos of the damage, but I got no further regarding that.

So why are you found guilty, and have to pay for tow and storage, when the police are in the wrong? Then attempt to reclaim your expenses? I'm sure the system works 99/100, but not in my experience, and I know of others having the same.