yesterday i was hit by an uninsured driver. He has assured me he will pay for the damage to my car, I wasnt going to inform my insurance company of the accident because ive only got 3rd party myself and dont really want any accidents registered against my insurance history, but it turns out my passenger has whiplash and cant work, could my insurance do anything to help me or should my passenger just try one of them no win no fee solicitors. Any suggestions?
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Go straight to the police.
Have you any proof of who he is? If he has told you he is uninsured then chances are its a false name and address he has given you and car won't be registered to him either!
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You should have called the police to the scene as soon as he admitted he had no insurance.
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Why do some people not think?
MD
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I would tell your insurance company pronto - before it all unravels.
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I had this happen about two years ago. The driver assured me he wanted to pay for the damage but when I got a quote of about £1500 he decided his giro could not cover it. Lucky I was fully comp with a protected no claims with LV and they got hold of him and agreed a deal with him. He was to repay them over a certain time scale (probably with super high interest), I thought this was pretty good, LV got their money, plus interest, and he covered his debt. Now two years later LV just told me he never made one payment and want to pursue him to recover the money.
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should have pointed out that i did report this to the police although he had already done so himself and has been nicked. Just dont know really whether my insurance could actually do anything because im only 3rd party.
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Your passenger becomes a "party" remember.
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Hi,
I am sure there is an insurance fund for peple who have been involved in an accident with uninsured driver.
Although I beleive you can only claim for injury. I would get a solicitor on the case. USe your legal cover if you have it, or if not contact RAC or AA who may take your case on no win no fee basis.
Cheers
Jlo
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JLO - yes, we, the honest motorist has to pay a levey of £30 (I am led to believe by the media) that constitues as of part of our own insurance premium towards it....
So we have to fund the payouts of uninsured drivers.
Edited by Tron on 02/03/2008 at 21:35
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This is the fund as above.
Covers:
1. Injuries sustained - driver identified or unidentified - insured/uninsured.
2. Damage only - driver identified and uninsured.
www.mib.org.uk/MIB/en/Default.htm
Edited by Fullchat on 02/03/2008 at 21:37
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Both you and your passsenger canm claim from the MIB - Motor Insurance Bureau for property damage(your car) and whiplash injuries. It will not be solved in weeks - it may take many months (if you are lucky).
Assessment of Whiplash can take say 2 years - mine did and only on eve of court case did the 3rd party remember she hit the back of the car that hit me.
Initially she said she was to blame for the bump - then on speaking to the boyfriend she had changed her mind by the afternoon. The thought of giving court evidence made her remember the truth 23 months later - I got £4K + out of pocket expenses + £150 Excess & restoration of my NCB. 7 years after the event my neck still hurts from time to time.
A customer of mine was hit a few weeks later by a speeding driver (observed by police who were nearby). Wrote off the car (£500 worth), he spent 3/4 days in hospital, 2-3 weeks at home, whiplash - he settled for £1000 as he needed the money to buy a car and could not afford to wait for the wheels of the lawyers / Ins Cos to turn.
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You say you didn't want to report it to your insurers - but you really have to, becaus eon each renewal they say you have to advise them of any material changes in risk - and being involved in a collision, whether your fault or not, or whether you invovled insurance or not, is a material fact that you have to report.
Bear in mind that you even have to report speeding tickets (or any points on your license for that matter) to your insurers.
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I believe that you are legally bound to report the accident to your insurer. That in itself need not increase the premium on renewal (though I think a report is taken into account). It is of course the claim on your insurance that brings the financial hit. Let's hope it works out okay for you.
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I am just going through the same senario I will lose all but two years of my no claims had the excess deducted from my pay out,all this will be restored when the insurance company recovers the full amount from the uninsured scroat and that will never happen so then we go through the MIS scheme which takes forever and they do not pay the first 300 pounds when all that fails they send in the bailiffs and take what ever he has which will be nothing.
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having been hit by an insured driver
who openly admitted it and said sorry at the roadside (what else could he do it was so obviously his fault)
who subsequently changes his tune and denies it to his insurance company
i can say the current rules re insurance etc are (as harry would say) pants
simply by telling a pack of lies he is getting away with it completely
very very sad
the rules need changing in favour of the law abiding honest folk
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I wouldn't bother trying to report it to the police - I was rear ended by a Polish driver who had limited english and no obvious insurance.
Rang the old bill control room got a civilian operator who told me that no officers would attend as it was nothing to do with them but a matter for my insurer to sort out.
As the damage was minor I couldn't be bothered ? to do anything about it.
Perhaps we should decriminalise "no Insurance" and formally save the Criminal Justice system time all round.
Cannabis anybody?
SIMON
Edited by Pugugly on 03/03/2008 at 18:22
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...carry a camera of some sort.
Get the culprits face as soon as you can - even if they are insured then take loads of pictures of yours, theirs and any other vehicle invovled. Also take images of any passengers of those vehicles.
Take images of clear makers, pot holes etc., these help to verifY the location of vehicles as does images of roadside furniture, street signs, lamposts etc.
I carry a cheap digital camera and I hope I never have to use it!
Don't forget - most mobiles have the ability to record conversations and they have a damned good microphone on them so slipping it in to a top pocket to record what is being said - may help.
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Don't forget - most mobiles have the ability to record conversations
Remember though that it's against the law to record a conversation without telling the person(s) who you are recording.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 03/03/2008 at 19:24
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I've got no obvious insurance either - its kept in a drawer at home...:-0
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"Remember though that it's against the law to record a conversation without telling the person(s) who you are recording."
Which law? In the case of a telephone conversation yes, but one where both parties are present and together?
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"It is not illegal for individuals to tape conversations {where both parties are present] providing the recording is for their own use, under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA)."
from news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4801032.stm
Edited by oldnotbold on 03/03/2008 at 20:49
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Yes, with the BBC and no doubt other organisations everything in these cases depended theoretically on something called a 'release form' which everyone was supposed to sign. Harassed BBC young woman dogsbodies, hair all over the place, rushing about making sure everyone has signed.
Wronged motorist (getting up): 'Look, my good fellow, suppose you put your rounders bat down for a moment and sign this form?'
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but one where both parties are present and together?
Provided you inform the other party, then yes, record away.
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