Local Milton Keynes MPs, Iain Stewart and Mark Lancaster, visited one of the city’s largest not-for-profit organisations on Friday 10 March. MIB (Motor Insurers’ Bureau) provides compensation for victims of uninsured and untraced (‘hit and run’) driving and, based in Linford Wood, employs just over 500 people.

MIB works with police forces across the country to take uninsured drivers off the road. Last year 145,000 vehicles were seized by police for no insurance. MIB is now stepping up its work with MPs to highlight the threat posed by uninsured and ‘hit and run’ drivers and to showcase how the office in Milton Keynes is the hub for this activity across the UK. The visit by Iain Stewart and Mark Lancaster is part of this engagement. The MPs will be discussing the important role MIB employees play in tackling and reducing uninsured driving nationally through working with organisations such as the police, DVLA and Department for Transport including:

• Handling over 25,000 claims a year for accidents caused by uninsured or untraced (‘hit and run) drivers
• Providing a Police Helpline (PHL) service for police at the roadside to verify insurance details and decide whether or not to seize a vehicle. The PHL  handles over 10,000 calls a month
• Providing an advice line to members of the public who receive a warning letter for not having insurance in place under the Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE) initiative which is run jointly with the DVLA. Under CIE, MIB sends out 62,000 warning letters a month to  individuals thought not to have insurance in place for their vehicles or have declared their vehicle as off-road through a SORN
• Increasingly supporting the insurance industry to tackle fraud

Ashton West, Chief Executive at MIB, said: “We are proud to be a Milton Keynes based employer and of the work we do to ensure victims of uninsured driving and ‘hit and runs’ receive the compensation they are entitled to. MIB looks forward to working closely with local MPs to reduce uninsured driving in their constituencies.”

Iain Stewart commented: “I was aware of the good work that MIB undertakes but this visit has enlightened me to the scope of their efforts to help protect innocent people from those who violate the law.”

Mark Lancaster added: “I’m pleased to be able to meet with MIB to highlight the serious consequences of uninsured drivers on our roads and how we best support the innocent victims thereafter.  This is a practice that needs to be eradicated and working closely with key organisations can only have a positive outcome.”

-ENDS-

Photo caption:

Pictured with a car seized for no insurance: (From left to right) Mark Lancaster, MP for Milton Keynes North, Ashton West, Chief Executive at MIB (Motor Insurers’ Bureau), Ian Stewart, MP for Milton Keynes South.