Insurance - MID check

[GeoffL]

Van insurance renewed at midnight. However, Adrian Flux hadn't sent me the promised insurance certificate and the Motor Insurance Database (askmid.com) showed the vehicle as uninsured. I phoned Adrian Flux, who confirmed that my van is insured and emailed a copy of my insurance certificate. However, they insisted that it can take a few days for the database to get updated and could do nothing to expedite this. Since I've seen several reports on the 'net of police relying solely on the MID and seizing insured vehicles even when the motorist has produced an insurance certificate, I'm reluctant to drive the van until the MID shows it to be insured. I guess that I can't do more and that this shows that it is necessary to check your vehicle is recorded as insured on the MID each time you renew (or change) your policy.

 

[2cv]

I was stopped in a car by the police on the basis of no insurance on the databases. I had however recently renewed, and it just took a call from the police car to the insurers to sort it out.

 

[jeffmossy]

I believe the police call the insurance company and check that you certificate is valid , then on your way with a smile on your face

 

[Wooie1958]

I always insure, tax and MOT my vehicles as soon as it is available to do so and have never seen any of them not covered on the .GOV sites or been stopped by the police for that reason.

Brother-in-law always leaves it until the day before they are due and has been stopped several times for uninsured, untaxed and or no MOT on vehicles even though they`ve been done.

He says the money is better in his bank account for a few extra days than in the government / insurance company coffers.

The dopey bugger still hasn`t put 2 and 2 together to work out that`s why he`s been stopped because the data bases haven`t been updated.

 

[mistericeman]

As above both MOT/insurance databases can take some time to update....
Especially IF either is late on a Friday....
Never caused me an issue as I've always been able to show either the email for receipt of funds or details of payment....
Tax usually shows immediately if you do it online (not sure IF you sadly have endure a trip to your local post office to deal with the generally grumpy fossils on the other side of the counter)
Police aren't generally too bothered about no mot being in place(none endorsable offence)
as long as insurance is provable.

 

[GeoffL]

FWIW, I phoned the insurance company about three weeks before the old insurance expired and haggled. They knocked £80 off the premium for me to stay with them -- effectively, they price matched a comparison site. So I'd payed for the insurance in good time. They promised to send me the insurance certificate by snail mail as well as email, but I only got the schedule and insurance T&Cs by email. I always start looking a month before the policy ends to have a new policy in place a couple of weeks before the old one expires.

The reason why I'm reluctant to drive the van until it's shown as insured on the MID is that I've seen reports on the 'net of the police not accepting an insurance certificate, claiming that the MID shows the current status as the insurer may have cancelled the policy. Perhaps I'm being paranoid, but I don't actually need the van until Tuesday, by which time I hope the MID will be updated. I'll also make sure I have the insurance certificate in the vehicle, together with a copy of section 165A of the Road Traffic Act, which clearly states that the vehicle may only be seized if the driver fails to produce evidence that the vehicle is not being driven without insurance.