Tips and advice

How to deal with uninsured drivers

What to do if you are involved in an accident with a driver who doesn’t have insurance

• Stay calm. If anyone is injured in any way, notify the appropriate emergency services straight away.
• Before you do anything else, make a note of the make and model of the other car, as well as their registration number. Someone who doesn’t have insurance is quite likely to drive off if they are involved in an accident, so it’s important to act quickly.
• If the driver hasn’t driven off, ask to see their insurance details. If they can’t provide you with details, ask for their name, address and telephone number.
• Never make any admissions of fault or guilt at the scene and avoid making accusations against the other driver. Try to remain calm and composed. If the driver is uninsured, he may attempt to withhold information or redirect blame.
• If at any stage the other driver becomes aggressive or even violent, return to your car, lock the doors and call the police, or go to a public place and wait until the police arrive. Your safety is more important than your vehicle.
• If possible, gather as many names, addresses and telephone numbers of witnesses at the scene.
• It’s a good idea to record any damage to either yourself or your vehicle. It’s a good idea to carry a disposable camera inside your vehicle at all times to take a photograph of the scene, or use a camera phone to take pictures. If you do not have a camera with you, draw a rough sketch of the scene, and do this as soon as possible, so that the details are fresh in your mind. This will help your insurance company work out exactly what happened.
• It is also helpful to write down your version of the incident at the first opportunity. This will help get things clear in your head, as well as making your account of events as accurate as possible. Note the date and time, as well as weather conditions.
• Notify your own insurer as soon as possible – this is a requirement of most insurance policies in any circumstances.  Unless you pay extra for No Claims Discount protection on your insurance policy, it will be affected by an accident with an uninsured driver because your insurer has no-one to recover the money from.
• If the Police have been involved, ask the officer if you may have a copy of the crash report.