Checking Vehicle Insurance?

[ChangFai]

I have a camera on my bike, and occasionally I would use https://motorscan.co.uk/ to check if a vehicle was Taxed, and had an MOT.

You could also "ask MID Check" to check if the vehicle was insured.

But now, that link takes you here https://enquiry.navigate.mib.org.uk/checkyourvehicle

And you are told that :
Legal conditions
You can only check insurance information if you live in the United Kingdom and:
the vehicle is registered, owned or insured by you or your employer;
you're allowed to drive it;
or, you're an Insurance Broker or Agent acting on behalf of your client.
It's an offence to check a vehicle if the reasons above do not apply to you.

Did something change with the law here, or has it always been illegal to check a vehicles insurance status?

 

[wiggydiggy]

AFAIK you can still check it if was involved with you in an incident, also try https://www.mib.org.uk/check-insurance-details/ which then takes to https://www.askmid.com/. Note there is a fee of £10 for that.

I'm guessing most people if in an incident would let their own insurance do those checks for free though.

 

[siadwell]

I have a camera on my bike, and occasionally I would use https://motorscan.co.uk/ to check if a vehicle was Taxed, and had an MOT.

You could also "ask MID Check" to check if the vehicle was insured.

But now, that link takes you here https://enquiry.navigate.mib.org.uk/checkyourvehicle

And you are told that :
Legal conditions
You can only check insurance information if you live in the United Kingdom and:
the vehicle is registered, owned or insured by you or your employer;
you're allowed to drive it;
or, you're an Insurance Broker or Agent acting on behalf of your client.
It's an offence to check a vehicle if the reasons above do not apply to you.

Did something change with the law here, or has it always been illegal to check a vehicles insurance status?

It's been that way for some time, I believe, but the AskMID website only asked you to confirm you have a valid interest in the vehicle.

 

[Alex321]

It has always been that way in theory, but there is no check of who you are when you say it is your vehicle, so you can just trick the boxes to say it is, and get vthe result back.

Though it is very rare for you to actually have a legitimate interest (not the same as just being interested about it) in whether another vehicle is insured, unless you have been involved in an accident with it, in which case your insurance should be dealing with that anyhow.

 

[Ajax Bay]

And you are told that :
Legal conditions
You can only check insurance information if you live in the United Kingdom and:
the vehicle is registered, owned or insured by you or your employer;
you're allowed to drive it;
or, you're an Insurance Broker or Agent acting on behalf of your client.
It's an offence to check a vehicle if the reasons above do not apply to you.

Did something change with the law here, or has it always been illegal to check a vehicles insurance status?

Can anyone help 'us' with what the "offence" is if you want to check a VRN for insurance by accessing this db?
Otherwise:

"On 30 April 2024 Navigate became the new home for data previously held in the Motor Insurance Database (MID). The same, central record of all insured vehicles in the UK in a new, secure cloud data platform. Navigate is managed by the MIB and used by Insurers, the Police and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to enforce motor insurance laws."

 

[Psamathe]

You can check Tax and MOT on a UK Government site https://www.vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk

Ian

 

[ChangFai]

Though it is very rare for you to actually have a legitimate interest (not the same as just being interested about it) in whether another vehicle is insured, unless you have been involved in an accident with it, in which case your insurance should be dealing with that anyhow.

Last year, I had a boy racer close pass me, which I got on film, using that MID check, I could see he had no insurance.

I sent the footage to my local police force, who as usual showed very little interest in the close pass, but thanked me for the no insurance report, and assured me that it would be dealt with.

Now with this change, I am not even allowed to do that now.

 

[Drago]

Can anyone help 'us' with what the "offence" is if you want to check a VRN for insurance by accessing this db?

Computer Misuse Act 1990.

Even the police can't access it speculatively when investigating a crime. They can do so only when dealing with a moving traffic offence (or a suspected one.)

 

[ChangFai]

You can check Tax and MOT on a UK Government site https://www.vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk

Ian

And insurance?

 

[Alex321]

Last year, I had a boy racer close pass me, which I got on film, using that MID check, I could see he had no insurance.

I sent the footage to my local police force, who as usual showed very little interest in the close pass, but thanked me for the no insurance report, and assured me that it would be dealt with.

Now with this change, I am not even allowed to do that now.

It hasn't changed. You have only ever legally been able to get that information for vehicles you own or have a legitimate interest in. That is just a bit more prominent on the website with the new system.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Computer Misuse Act 1990.

Even the police can't access it speculatively when investigating a crime. They can do so only when dealing with a moving traffic offence (or a suspected one.)

But anyone can check whether a vehicle has MOT and VE licence. Why is that not similarly an offence under that Act?

 

[Drago]

But anyone can check whether a vehicle has MOT and VE licence. Why is that not similarly an offence under that Act?

The law in this cawe applies equally to the government and the MID, the difference being the government permit access to tax and MOT data by any enquired, and the MID only permit access in very limited circumstances,

The pertinent question is why the MID are not permitting such universal acsess?

 

[JohnHughes307]

I think it might be (guessing here, I don't have inside info) that Tax and MOT apply to the vehicle, while insurance applies to a person - albeit associated with a vehicle. Insurance details could therefore come under GDPR unless very carefully sanitised.

 

[wiggydiggy]

I think it might be (guessing here, I don't have inside info) that Tax and MOT apply to the vehicle, while insurance applies to a person - albeit associated with a vehicle. Insurance details could therefore come under GDPR unless very carefully sanitised.

Hmm I'm not sure. The Tax and MOT checks just say Yes/No and the date it expires, the Insurance check could just return the same result so no personal details would be given. Also there are insurance policies on vehicles e.g. for work so multiple drivers can use pool cars.

 

[Alex321]

Hmm I'm not sure. The Tax and MOT checks just say Yes/No and the date it expires, the Insurance check could just return the same result so no personal details would be given. Also there are insurance policies on vehicles e.g. for work so multiple drivers can use pool cars.

I suspect it is more about tax & MOT being government information, while insurance is private companies. And many private companies are over cautious about potential GDPR stuff.