At conception the MID was intended to be a tool in the reduction of uninsured driving in the UK (a problem which cost the industry £215m in that year alone and now costs in excess of £500m). The UK has one of the worst records in Western Europe with an estimated one in twenty cars on the road being driven without proper insurance cover.  Initially, the MID was designed to hold the insurance details of the 22 million individually insured UK vehicles.   Using the MID, police forces around the country can now carry out on-the-spot checks on motorists to see whether they are insured. 

As well as helping the police to fight crime, the MID now provides a solution to another challenge.   In January 2003 the Fourth EU Motor Directive was implemented, requiring that the insurers of all UK vehicles be readily identifiable by an information centre.  The MID now also holds details of UK fleet vehicles and their insurance details.

Although Insurers are responsible for inputting the policy data onto the database, policyholders must submit their vehicle data either by sending it direct to their insurer, or by sending it over a secure web connection.  Policyholders should liaise directly with their Insurers in order to find out how they can submit their data to the MID.