Some of you may remember an article I wrote back in July 1999 concerning a court case against the Minister of Transport relating to the unfair system being operated by the Motor Insurers Bureaux (MIB) for dealing with victims of 'hit and run' accidents. Here is a short excerpt to refresh your memory. 

"It turns out that back in 1988 a European directive came into force aimed at giving 'hit and run' victims the same rights as victims of other road traffic accidents. Among these rights are, the right to recover legal costs, the right to claim interest payments on delayed compensation pay-outs, and maybe most important of all, the right to defend yourself against claims of contributory negligence.
Lawyers in London are preparing to take the Transport Secretary John to court over the governments failure to implement the Euro directive. There is good reason to believe in the ultimate success of this case. Especially in light of an appeal court hearing last September in which the judge was of the opinion that the Department of Transport and the MIB had failed to honour the terms of the European directive of 1988. If you have been a victim of a hit and run, then had the misfortune to be a victim of the present MIB system all is not yet lost".

Well, things have progressed somewhat over the past two years. The case was eventually taken to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg in July 2002. This week the court announced it's preliminary ruling in which it stated "the United Kingdom has committed a sufficiently serious breach of community law" The final Ruling of the court will be delivered in a few weeks time, and is expected to be substantially different from the preliminary ruling.
This means that case against the Department of Transport and the MIB can now proceed with a very great chance of success. Hundreds of people may now get the justice they have been waiting for and, maybe more importantly, people who have to go through the MIB system in the future should not have to suffer the injustice of an immoral and unfair system.

The solicitors dealing with this case are; Joseph Aaron & Co, City Gate House, 399-425 Eastern Avenue, Gants Hill, Ilford, Essex, IG2 6LR. Tel; 020 8518 0333