THE INSURANCE industry has agreed to hand over its information on written-off cars and will suggest to Government that it provides the data every three months.
The Irish Insurance Federation (IIF) had previously said it was not obliged to make available to the public or the Department of Transport records on car write-offs held by insurers.
An investigation into car write-offs was launched after Cartell, a private company that runs a car-checking website, compiled a report that concluded write-offs were being repaired and returned to the road, and some had even passed the NCT.
IIF chief executive Mike Kemp said that not every car was comprehensively insured, which means that some owners may not notify their insurer if their car is written-off.
Jeff Aherne, a director of Cartell, said the insurance industry's decision was the first step in ensuring write-offs are taken off the roads.
"Once the insurers hand over this information, the Government needs to notify the drivers," he said.
Mr Aherne said it usually takes two weeks for the National Vehicle Driver File, the official car register at the department, to be updated with information on new and secondhand cars.
Unfortunately, members of the public still do not have free access to the National Vehicle Driver File, so they must avail of websites like cartell.ie to check information on used cars.