How Common Are Car Accident Compensation Claims Involving Uninsured Drivers?

Suffering personal injuries in a road accident is bad enough, but having to make a claim against an uninsured driver can make a bad situation considerably worse. In fact, recent research by Saga Car Insurance found this is the biggest driving fear among men over 50, cited by 23% of respondents to a Populus poll.

People fear the consequences of an accident with an uninsured driver more than they should, perhaps – many think it is impossible to make a car accident compensation claim when this happens, and that they will be left to deal with the financial aftermath by themselves.

However, you can still claim through the Motor Insurer’s Bureau (MIB) as part of its Uninsured Drivers’ Agreement – you should speak to road accident solicitors to cover your potential legal expenses and inform your insurance company about the accident.

Saga suggested that gender discrepancies could be responsible for the number of men who fear uninsured driver accidents, as only 7% of the women polled said this was their biggest driving fear. Women appeared to fear motor vehicle accidents themselves rather than the process of making a road accident claim, as 30% said driving in snowy conditions is their biggest fear, but just 15% of men did.

Road accidents with uninsured drivers

The MIB suggests there could be 1.2 million uninsured drivers on the road today, down from 2 million in 2005 and out of around 40 million drivers. The group has seen the number of car accident claims it deals with fall from over 37,000 in 2005 to around 25,000 nowadays.

It is thought that the increasing use and sophistication of Automatic Number-Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems could be responsible for this fall. All insurers are supposed to put the details of new policies on the Motor Insurers’ Database so they can be checked by ADPR within seven days of the application being accepted, and at the moment this happens in 98.8% of cases.

Saga claims one in 14 motorists over the age of 50 have been hit by an uninsured driver, and the MIB notes uninsured drivers are around five times more likely to be involved in a road accident, to fail to comply with the rules of the road or to be involved in other forms of criminal activity than other motorists.

While it is likely that the average uninsured driver is more reckless and careless than other road users, it is thought that part of the reason these motorists are so much more likely to be involved in motor vehicle accidents is because they are generally younger and inexperienced. Research has shown some young people are actually unaware that driving without car insurance is a criminal offence.

Claiming car accident compensation

It is still possible to claim car accident compensation following an accident with an uninsured driver, but you will need specialist legal assistance to do so. Find solicitors who specialise in this kind of compensation claim to get the money you are entitled to.