legal
guide to UK motoring, sections for law enforcement, Driver licensing,
learner and new drivers, buying and selling, speeding fines, owning a
vehicle, wheel clamping, traffic information
The
Vehicle Identity Check (VIC) has been introduced
to help reduce vehicle crime. It is intended
to deter criminals from disguising stolen
cars with the identity of written off or
scrapped vehicles.
When
an insurance company writes off a car,
the registration document (V5 logbook)
is surrendered to them and destroyed.
The insurance company will then notify
the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
(DVLA) that the vehicle has been written
off. This notification will set a VIC
marker on the vehicle record on the DVLA
database. If the vehicle is subsequently
repaired with the intention of returning
it to the road, the DVLA will not issue
a new registration document or vehicle
excise duty licence until the car passes
a vehicle identity check (VIC). The VIC
is designed to help confirm that the vehicle
being returned to the road has been repaired
following accident damage and has not
been stolen.
The
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) will carry out
the VIC. This will involve comparing the vehicle presented
to VOSA against the information held by DVLA, such as the
vehicle identification number, make, model, colour and engine
number. The VIC will also compare the record of previous
accident damage with evidence of damage repair as well as
checking other components to confirm the age and identity
of the vehicle.
