In the UK, there are over 128,000 road accidents each year, and according to official figures, this results in about 351 casualties every single day. And being in an accident on the road is bad enough, but when you’ve been hit by an uninsured driver, things get even more complicated.
The MIB (Motor Insurers Bureau) released a survey that suggests someone in the UK is affected by an uninsured or hit-and-run driver every 20 minutes. That’s a shockingly high number of uninsured drivers on the roads. But what exactly do you need to do when you’re involved in an incident with an uninsured driver? The truth is you likely won’t know until after the incident, and you report it if they’re uninsured. The following steps, however, can be helpful in this situation.
Check for Injuries and Call the Police
The immediate priority after any accident is to check for any injuries on all involved parties and get medical assistance at the scene if required. If the accident necessitates it, call the police to help you contain the scene, so you have an official record of the accident, which will be important down the line if you uncover the accident was the fault of an uninsured driver.
Gather Evidence
One of the most important things you can do after checking for injuries is to collect as much evidence as you can. You need to have pictures and videos where possible of all the people, including the injuries, the vehicles, the environment, the weather and anything else that helps you out. Take multiple videos and pictures from different angles to get a more complete picture of the damage. You need the vehicle registration too in a clear shot. You can use any drivers and passengers as well as their details. This will be a massive help if you need to pursue an uninsured driver or if the police need more evidence.
Then collect details of any witnesses too who can help you out with an independent account of what actually happened, as they will have seen it from a different angle than you experienced it.
Report to Insurance and Get Legal Advice
Once you’re away from the scene and back home, you need to contact your insurance company and give them all the details of the accident, including witness names, the details you gathered from the other driver and any crime reference number you were given from the police. They will use this to pursue the claim for you and inform you of what your rights are in this situation regarding your insurance and the outcomes of any claims you make.
From here you need to get legal advice as dealing with uninsured drivers isn’t always an easy situation and legal advice can help you out when the other driver does not have insurance. They can help you make claims through the Motor Insurers’ Bureau, the body that compensates people injured by uninsured or untraced drivers in these situations. Get this advice early so you can align your discussion with your insurance company to get the right resolution with as few issues as possible.
