11/11/2026
Rebecca Hodge
Road Safety Week, the annual road safety campaign, runs from 15 to 21 November 2026, and this year the road safety charity Brake has chosen the theme Safe People on the Move. The message behind this is a simple one. Whether we drive, walk, wheel or ride, using our roads safely helps to protect ourselves and each other.
At Russell & Russell, our personal injury team sees what happens when that goes wrong. We help people across Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Chester and the wider Greater Manchester area put their lives back together after a road traffic accident that was not their fault. In this blog, we look at an issue that comes up in a surprising number of those cases, and which the police have launched their own campaign tackling head-on: Uninsured Drivers.
Operation Drive Insured: November’s Crackdown on Uninsured Vehicles
Road Safety Week follows straight on from Operation Drive Insured, a national campaign run by the National Police Chiefs’ Council in partnership with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB). Between 9 and 15 November, police forces across the country carry out targeted operations to take uninsured vehicles off the road and remind drivers to check their own cover.
The figures behind the campaign are sobering. According to the MIB, someone is hit by an uninsured or hit-and-run driver every 20 minutes in the UK, and at least one person dies on our roads every week because of an uninsured driver. More than 158,000 uninsured vehicles were seized in 2025 alone.
Are You Sure Your Own Cover Is Right?
Not every uninsured driver sets out to break the law. The MIB points to a handful of everyday mistakes that leave people driving without valid cover, often without realising it:
· Assuming a policy will renew automatically when it will not.
· Letting the payment card linked to the policy expire.
· Using the vehicle in a way the policy does not cover, such as commuting or business use on a social-only policy.
· Failing to declare modifications to the vehicle.
The MIB also warns about two types of vehicle insurance fraud. Fronting is when a more experienced driver is named as the main driver to bring the premium down, even though someone else actually drives the car most of the time. Ghost broking is when fraudsters sell fake or invalid policies, usually at a price that looks too good to be true, often through social media posts.
The consequences of being caught are serious. They include a £300 fixed penalty and six penalty points, seizure of the vehicle (which may then be crushed), and, if the case goes to court, an unlimited fine and a possible driving ban. A conviction can also push up future insurance premiums and affect your job prospects. Taking five minutes to check your documents this week is worth it. Read more about the campaign and common motor insurance mistakes.
Accident With an Uninsured Driver - Can You Still Claim?
Being injured by a driver with no insurance, or a driver who drove off and cannot be traced, can feel like the end of the road for any claim. However, this is not the case. The MIB exists to compensate people in exactly this situation, and claims are still handled by a road traffic accident solicitor in much the same way as any other claim.
If this has happened to you, some steps can help:
· Get medical attention as soon as you can, even if your injuries seem minor at first.
· Report the accident to the police and ask for a crime reference number.
· Tell your own insurer, if you have one, even though you were not at fault.
· Write down anything you remember about the other vehicle, including any part of the registration.
· Keep photographs, dashcam footage and the details of any witnesses.
· Speak to a solicitor before you deal with the MIB on your own.
The MIB schemes have their own rules and reporting deadlines, and some of these are much shorter than the usual three-year time limit for a personal injury claim. That is one of the main reasons we recommend getting advice as soon as you can.
How We Have Helped – Road Traffic Accident Case Studies
Tracing a Driver’s Insurer After a Cyclist Was Knocked from Their Bike
Our client was cycling early one morning when they were hit by a car on a roundabout and knocked from their bike into the road. The driver stopped at the scene but did not provide full insurance details.
Our client did two things at the scene that helped strengthen the claim. They took a photograph of the vehicle, and they reported the collision to the police, which created a police log of the incident. Using the vehicle details, our solicitors carried out a search on askMID, the MIB’s online service for checking whether a vehicle is insured and located the driver’s policy.
When our team contacted the insurers, their driver initially denied being involved in the collision at all. Once we presented the photographs and the police log, the insurers accepted liability. Our client had been wearing a helmet and protective clothing, and thankfully their injuries were minor. They received £5,000 in compensation.
Serious Injury Caused by a Disqualified Driver
Our client suffered serious injuries, including a brain injury, when a driver deliberately drove into her. The driver was disqualified from driving at the time. While the question of indemnity was being looked at, the insurers of the vehicle would not consider paying compensation under the policy.
We approached the MIB, who liaised with the insurers on our client’s behalf. The insurers eventually agreed to meet the claim, and damages of more than £300,000 were paid to reflect her brain injury and her need for future treatment. The driver received a prison sentence.
Without the MIB’s involvement, our client could have been left in a dispute with an insurer that did not want to pay. Instead, she received the compensation she needed to fund her treatment and recovery.
We provide details about some of our other cases on our dedicated personal injury website, The Personal Injury People: Case Studies.
Playing Our Part This Road Safety Week
Brake’s road safety campaign this year puts the emphasis on people, and on the idea that those who can do the most harm on the road carry the greatest responsibility for those who are more vulnerable. That ties in with the hierarchy of road users in the Highway Code, which places pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders at the top.
For most of us, playing our part comes down to a few small routine behaviours that can make all the difference.
· Slow down near schools and in residential streets.
· Give cyclists and horse riders plenty of room when you overtake.
· Keep your phone out of reach while you drive.
None of these takes much effort, and every one of them reduces the chance of someone being seriously hurt. Checking that your insurance is valid and covers how you actually use your car is also quick, easy, and vitally important. A valid policy protects you financially, keeps you on the right side of the law, and ensures you’re supported if something goes wrong. You can check your insurance status via a free online tool on the MIB website: Check Now.
Road Traffic Accident Solicitors in Bolton, Chester, and Across Greater Manchester
If you or a member of your family has been injured in a road traffic accident, including one caused by an uninsured or untraced driver, our team is here to help. We offer a free, no-obligation assessment of your case, where we will advise you of your chances of success even if you were hit by an uninsured driver or involved in a hit-and-run accident.
Our solicitors are members of the Motor Accident Solicitors Society (MASS) and have helped clients across the North West through some very difficult cases.
To find out where you stand, contact our personal injury team by calling us on 0800 731 7555 or send us an enquiry online.
Frequently Asked Questions About Disqualified Driver Claims
What is Road Safety Week?
Road Safety Week is the UK’s biggest road safety campaign, organised each November by the charity Brake. The 2026 campaign runs from 15 to 21 November under the theme Safe People on the Move.
What is the Motor Insurers’ Bureau?
The MIB is funded by motor insurers and compensates people injured by uninsured drivers and drivers who cannot be traced. Claims against the MIB can be handled by a solicitor in the same way as a standard road traffic accident claim.
What should I do if a driver who hit me did not stop?
Get medical help first, then report the accident to the police as soon as possible and ask for a crime reference number. Make a note of anything you remember about the vehicle and speak to a solicitor about making a claim through the MIB.
What is askMID?
askMID is an online service run by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau that checks a vehicle’s registration against the Motor Insurance Database. If you have been involved in a collision and the other driver has not given you their insurance details, your solicitor can use askMID to find out whether the vehicle was insured and who the insurer is.
Please note that this article is meant as general guidance and not intended as legal or professional advice. Updates to the law may have changed since this article was published.