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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Anna Tims

AA hasn’t told anyone it is insuring my car

A black car covered with tape and banners saying 'Uninsured car seized by police'
Cars not on the MID can be seized and their owners fined and given penalty points. Photograph: Jeff Gilbert/Alamy

Two weeks ago I received a letter from the police stating that my car was showing as uninsured on the Motor Insurance Database (MID).

My AA insurance policy renewed in May. Since the police letter, AA Insurance has failed to get my car added to the database. It helpfully told me that I could carry my insurance documents with me in case I get challenged by the police. What will happen is that my car will again get picked up by automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR) cameras and I’ll receive a notice of intended prosecution.

I’ve had no response from the AA complaints department. I’m a key worker and having to restrict myself to routes where there are no ANPR cameras. It’s affecting my job, my life and my sanity.

PS, Stroud, Gloucestershire

AA’s negligence left you in a potentially grave situation. The MID records all insured vehicles and is used by the police and the DVLA to identify uninsured and stolen vehicles. Those not on the database may be seized, and the owner will receive a £100 fixed-penalty notice and, potentially, penalty points.

The Department for Transport requires 95% of private cars to be added to the register within seven days of a policy starting. By the time my intervention roused the AA, more than 12 weeks had passed.

The company blamed a “minor error in the data feed” which “delayed” the upload. That’s not good enough. You contacted them every day for two weeks after the police warning. When I alerted the press office, your car was added the next day.

Email your.problems@observer.co.uk. Include an address and phone number. Submission and publication are subject to our terms and conditions

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