Use AskMid to check a vehicles insurance
With all of our cars on Customers Own Insurance (COI), its important to check the insurance status of a vehicle and we do carry out regular checks.
But did you realise that you can check the status of a vehicle yourself using the online service offered by www.askmid.com.
Its also quite good to check a vehicle’s status if you’ve been involved in an accident and you want to see if the other party is insured, especially if they are trying to settle outside of their insurance.
Se we delve into the system that is AskMid:
- What is AskMid and what is it used for?
- Stay Legal with AskMID
- What is Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE)?
- How do I check a vehicle on AskMid?
- How does Cocoon Vehicles use AskMid?
- Do Police use the Ask Mid System?
- How quickly will my car show up on AskMid?
What is AskMid and what is it used for?
MID stands for Motor Insurance Database and is the official database of all vehicles in the UK that are (or not) fully insured.
The MID is managed by the MIB (Motor Insurer’s Bureau) which works on behalf of the UK Government to help provide compensation for insured drivers who have been involved in a non-fault road traffic accident caused by an uninsured driver or vehicle.
The Ask MID service is used by a number of companies including authorities, the Police, government departments and even members of the public to check on the status of the insurance at any time.
Stay Legal with AskMID
On the AskMid website, there is a section called “Stay Legal” – It covers the advice on what you need to do to make sure that you drive in the UK legally.
It also warns users of the consequences for not having insurance or even the correct insurance in place.
If you are currently not driving your vehicle and you don’t want to pay out for insurance, it needs to be taken off the UK roads and declared SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) with the DVLA. You cannot drive your vehicle whilst the car is SORN.
If the vehicle is on the road without an insurance policy and not declared as SORN and you are caught by officials, you may receive one of the following:
- Your car may be clamped by the DVLA
- A warning letter by post
- Penalty or a Fine with possible court prosecution.
What is Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE)?
The CIE is a legislation introduced in June 2011 by the Department of Transport. The aim was to reduce the amount of uninsured drivers on UK roads.
The Continious Insurance Enforcement makes it an offence for the vehicle to be not declared as SORN and not insured. The onus is on the registered keeper to insure that these things are in place.
The exception to the rule is that the car must be declared as SORN (Statutory Off-Road Notice) via the DVLA. However, vehicles declared as SORN must be kept on private land at all times, even when it is not being driven.
How do I check a vehicle on AskMid?
The process of checking your vehicle or another vehicle, is relatively easy using the AskMid website.
All you need to do is visit https://ownvehicle.askmid.com/ and enter the registration number, read the Data Protection Declaration and confirm, then complete the Google Captcha statement.
It will then show you whether the vehicle is on the Motor Insurance Database or not.
This service is currently free.
How does Cocoon Vehicles use AskMid?
We use AskMid on a regular basis to ensure that not only are our clients cars insured, but that vehicles that are being moved around the UK are also covered by an insurance policy.
Should a clients car not be insured, we will receive either a warning or a fine from the relevant authority to say that it is not showing on the MID and it is a requirement that it is.
Occasionally insurance companies haven’t submitted the details even with a policy in place, so its really important that you carry out the check yourself.
Do Police use Ask Mid?
Yes, The Police do use the Ask Mid system and usually have unrestricted access to the vehicle details, policy holder and the policy number. They can usually see when the policy was taken out and the type of cover.
How quickly will my car show up on AskMid?
Depending on your insurance company, your vehicle could be on the MID in seconds or could take sometime, sometimes 24-48 hours.
This is why its really important to check your documents, especially the registration number to make sure that the insurance company has written this down correctly.
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