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15 February 2013 / Nicholas Bevan
Issue: 7548 / Categories: Features , Insurance / reinsurance , Personal injury
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On the right road? (Pt III)

Nicholas Bevan explains why national law shouldn’t be permitted to undermine the effectiveness of Community law

Uninsured drivers are an unpleasant hazard of modern life. Not only are they statistically more prone to accidents, but their inconsiderate approach to insurance puts their victims in jeopardy of being denied their compensatory entitlement.

We have seen from the first two articles in this series, highlighting how the government is failing to compensate RTA victims, that the primary source of law in this area of practice are the six Motor Vehicle Insurance Directives (MVID) and the European Court of Justice (ECJ) rulings that interpret and apply them (see NLJ, 1 February 2013, p 94 and NLJ, 8 February 2013, p 130).

The first MVID was adopted by the Community and became law in 1972. The last consolidating MVID was adopted in 2009. Both the MVIDs and the ECJ rulings have precedence over both our national legislature and judiciary. Between them, they serve as a blueprint to enable the UK to transpose

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

Cripps—Radius Law

Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

Switalskis—Grimsby

Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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