What are the MID and MIIC ?
The Motor Insurers’ Information Centre (MIIC) was established by the insurance industry to oversee, on their behalf, the development and ongoing management of the Motor Insurance Database (MID). This database is already a key tool in the crusade against the crime of uninsured driving, with details of every individually insured vehicle now held on the MID.
The UK has one of the worst records in Western Europe for uninsured driving, with an estimated one in every twenty cars on the road being driven without proper insurance cover. This results in every honest motorist in the UK paying £15 - £30 of their insurance premium to compensate the innocent victims of these cheats ... and the problem is growing at a dramatic rate.
Not only will the database help to reduce this crime, but it will also assist the UK in meeting the 4th EU Motor Insurance Directive. This directive, which came into effect on 20 January 2003, requires that details of every insured vehicle be accessible (by VRM), by a national information centre in order to make it easier to pursue cross-border claims. In the UK, the MIIC will fulfil the role of the UK Information Centre.
What does the 4 th Directive mean for me ?
The 4 th Directive was introduced to make it easier for those injured in accidents whilst visiting another EU state to receive compensation by:
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Requiring there to be an Information centre who can identify the insurer of the other party from the registration plate. |
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Allowing the injured party a direct right of action against the insurer. |
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Requiring the insurer to nominate a representative in the injured party’s own country who has sufficient powers to settle the claim. |
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Ensuring that there is a compensation body to pay the claim in the event that the insurer cannot be identified or is manifestly dilatory in settling a claim. |
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These measures introduced by the directive compliment the arrangements of the Green Card system which ensures the ready settlement of claims in the injured party’s own country where the other party comes from a different country.
So if I am in an accident, what help can I get?
For seven years after the accident, you have the right to request from either:
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The information centre in your home state, or |
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From the information centre where the other party’s vehicle is based, or |
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From the information centre of the state in which the accident occurred |
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the following information:
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The name and address of the insurer, |
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The number of the insurance policy, |
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The name and address of the insurer’s claims representative in your home state, |
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The name and address of the registered keeper (in special cases). |
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"The MID has already proven to be a very valuable tool for police, in improving safety through more effective law enforcement on the roads
Now, with the addition of fleet vehicles, there will be no good reason for a vehicle's insurance not to appear on the MID"
Deputy Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes.
How long will it take for an insurer to pay a claim?
Clearly this depends on the complexity of the individual claim. However, the insurer of the party that caused the accident or their claims representative in required to make a reasoned response or offer within 3 months of the claim be presented. This will be regulated, for UK insurers, by the FSA. Moreover, interest will be payable on any settlement unnecessarily delayed beyond 3 months.
What about my privacy on the database?
The directive requires data protection to take precedence over the implementation of the directive. MIIC has regular meetings with the Information Commissioner to ensure that the Data Protection Act is complied with fully. MIIC will not disclose the personal details of policyholders or registered keepers where the insurer has been identified and is dealing with claim. Should a vehicle not appear on the MID, after attempting to contact the registered keeper to discover the identity of their insurer, MIIC will consider whether an enquirer needs the personal details of the registered keeper in order to pursue a claim for compensation.
Contacts
MIIC is the Information Centre in the UK. We can be contacted on 08702-416732 or information@miic.org.uk
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau is approved as the UK’s Compensation Body. Contact MIB by telephone: 01908-830001 or www.mib.org.uk
The official version of the can be viewed on the D of T website.
The full version of the Fourth Directive (PDF)can be viewed in the Official Journal.
Motor Trade and Motor Fleet Policyholders
The Motor Insurance Database is now a key part of the operations of those in the Motor Trade and those operating large Motor Fleets. The website for the ‘MID’ is www.miic.org.uk .
For clients of Graham Edwards Ltd who are unable, or who do not access to the internet we can provide update services for our clients with Motor Trade Combined policies free of charge. Our free motor insurance database update service is an instant service which we provide online at the time of a client telephone call. For motor trade and motor fleet policyholders to update your own records go to www.midupdate.com remember of course that you will need your login details. If you have any problems obtaining access then please call us.
