AskMid

[TooMany2cvs]

300bhp/ton said:

Don’t know the truth of this. But I phoned crimestoppers to report and uninsured car recently. They told me they nor the Police would be interested as not all insurers use the MID.

I thought it was a legal requirement that they did...?

[300bhp/ton]

TooMany2cvs said:

300bhp/ton said:

Don’t know the truth of this. But I phoned crimestoppers to report and uninsured car recently. They told me they nor the Police would be interested as not all insurers use the MID.

I thought it was a legal requirement that they did...?

So did I. But they were adamant that they were not interested as I was as referencing MID. And basically told me not to bother phoning the Police about it.

[anonymous-user]

TooMany2cvs said:

300bhp/ton said:

Don’t know the truth of this. But I phoned crimestoppers to report and uninsured car recently. They told me they nor the Police would be interested as not all insurers use the MID.

I thought it was a legal requirement that they did...?

They most definitely do.

[300bhp/ton]

desolate said:

They most definitely do.

Maybe you could phone them for clarity. It was quite disheartening tbh.

[anonymous-user]

300bhp/ton said:

Maybe you could phone them for clarity. It was quite disheartening tbh.

I'm perfectly clear that whoever said it is wrong.

Not sure I fancy taking it up with Crimestoppers - life's too short

[Cliftonite]

TooMany2cvs said:

Cliftonite said:

A valid insurance certificate MUST be accepted by the police as evidence of cover. It's the law, innit?

Without reference to the insurer, how does he know it IS valid?

It matches the driver, car, usage and is in date.

If it is prima facie correct, then it IS correct for this purpose.

The Police did not check with the insurer in the days of "producers" did they?

[Psycho Warren]

The problem is the system needs updating along with the legislation.

While an insurance certificate is in law all that is required to prove cover, then where is the incentive for the mid to make the database more accurate and force all the companies to update immediately? there is none.

[Landshark]

Cliftonite said:

TooMany2cvs said:

Cliftonite said:

A valid insurance certificate MUST be accepted by the police as evidence of cover. It's the law, innit?

Without reference to the insurer, how does he know it IS valid?

It matches the driver, car, usage and is in date.

If it is prima facie correct, then it IS correct for this purpose.

The Police did not check with the insurer in the days of "producers" did they?

Unless you pay monthly, have stopped paying and kept hold of your certificate......

[WillG]

Landshark said:

Cliftonite said:

TooMany2cvs said:

Cliftonite said:

A valid insurance certificate MUST be accepted by the police as evidence of cover. It's the law, innit?

Without reference to the insurer, how does he know it IS valid?

It matches the driver, car, usage and is in date.

If it is prima facie correct, then it IS correct for this purpose.

The Police did not check with the insurer in the days of "producers" did they?

Unless you pay monthly, have stopped paying and kept hold of your certificate......

In the 'old days' it was an offence not to return your certificate if your policy was cancelled by you, or your insurer, so in theory if you had a certificate in your possession you were covered, or were committing another offence.

No longer the case, and I think (maybe wrong) a MID entry caries the same weight as evidence of valid cover as a certificate. So if you present a certificate which can't be backed up by an arguably more up to date MID entry they are likely to be suspicious.

[Bigends]

Cliftonite said:

TooMany2cvs said:

Cliftonite said:

A valid insurance certificate MUST be accepted by the police as evidence of cover. It's the law, innit?

Without reference to the insurer, how does he know it IS valid?

It matches the driver, car, usage and is in date.

If it is prima facie correct, then it IS correct for this purpose.

The Police did not check with the insurer in the days of "producers" did they?

No we didnt - just checked the certificate - ticked the 'in order' box in the productions book and that was it. The good old cover note was also well in use back then

[wilwak]

I’m still waiting for askmid to show my new car as insured.

Paid for and went live last Monday. Now Sunday evening.

Admiral Multicar. This is the longest it’s ever taken.

I’m still avoiding using the car as I don’t want the hassle of being pulled over. Frustrating.

I entirely agree that the system needs improving.

[Who me ?]

Likewise- insurance arranged/paid fo with new company on 16/10. Policy live on 21/10 - but still not active on Askmid. What bothers me as a properly paid up motorist is all the HYPE we get about towns ringed with ANPR . Is the system set up to catch cars without VED/MOT/Insurance, or is another Gov't hoax.
Then there's the BIG question - WHY DOES IT TAKE seven days to update the system. My take- to "persuade " motorists not to become "brand new customers" and get to believe that changing a company ( to get a loss leader policy) ,might mean getting pulled over by Police.

[Red Devil]

WillG said:

Certificates mean almost nothing to Police now, they take the mid (wrongly) as gospel, so if you're not on there, and they can't confirm with your insurers by phone, it doesn't matter if you have the CEO of your insurers in the car, your almost certainly getting impounded.

Do all insurers have a 24/7 contact centre? If not, what happens if I should get stopped by a sceptical plod in my new (to me) legitimately insured p&J at 04.00 on a motorway?
I don't have any control over when my insurer uploads the data or when it shows on the gizmo in the cops' vehicle. Futhermore AIUI the latter doesn't do so in real time.*

If what you say is correct, that's wholly unacceptable.

 * Happy to be corrected on that second point if I'm wrong, but the first one still stands.

[KungFuPanda]

Technically certificate of insurance trumps MID until proven otherwise but try telling that to some traffic cops.

[martinbiz]

Red Devil said:

WillG said:

Certificates mean almost nothing to Police now, they take the mid (wrongly) as gospel, so if you're not on there, and they can't confirm with your insurers by phone, it doesn't matter if you have the CEO of your insurers in the car, your almost certainly getting impounded.

Do all insurers have a 24/7 contact centre? If not, what happens if I should get stopped by a sceptical plod in my new (to me) legitimately insured p&J at 04.00 on a motorway?
I don't have any control over when my insurer uploads the data or when it shows on the gizmo in the cops' vehicle. Futhermore AIUI the latter doesn't do so in real time.*

If what you say is correct, that's wholly unacceptable.

 * Happy to be corrected on that second point if I'm wrong, but the first one still stands.

What red devil says is not correct though. If you have a valid ins cert with you, in most cases a police officer will take this at face value if there is no way of contacting the ins co and your car will not be seized, unless of course there are other reasons that may make them want to look a bit deeper.

Some on here make it sound like the Police spend their day just going around seizing every car willy nilly that does not appear on the database. Complete bks

[GSX]

wilwak said:

I’m still waiting for askmid to show my new car as insured.

Paid for and went live last Monday. Now Sunday evening.

Admiral Multicar. This is the longest it’s ever taken.

I’m still avoiding using the car as I don’t want the hassle of being pulled over. Frustrating.

I entirely agree that the system needs improving.

Just write or print the certificate that's all

[TwigtheWonderkid]

GSX said:

wilwak said:

I’m still waiting for askmid to show my new car as insured.

Paid for and went live last Monday. Now Sunday evening.

Admiral Multicar. This is the longest it’s ever taken.

I’m still avoiding using the car as I don’t want the hassle of being pulled over. Frustrating.

I entirely agree that the system needs improving.

Just write or print the certificate that's all

It's 15 months since he asked the question...I suspect it's probably sorted by now.

[Bigends]

KungFuPanda said:

Technically certificate of insurance trumps MID until proven otherwise but try telling that to some traffic cops.

Interestingly. that same certificate that the Police may not accept at the time of the stop may well be sufficient proof of insurance to allow the vehicles release from the pound the next day.

Edited by Bigends on Friday 25th January 12:26

[martinbiz]

HOLY THREAD RESURRECTION BATMAN