More write-off warnings

Further co-operation between insurance companies and the Government may lead to more warnings for owners of previously written-off cars. Simon Carswell, Finance Correspondent, reports

THE 261 LETTERS recently dispatched by the Department of Transport to the owners of vehicles previously classified as write-offs will not be the only warnings sent out to motorists this year.

Department of Finance officials will meet the Irish Insurance Federation (IIF) next week to discuss the handing over of records on written-off vehicles by insurance companies.

A spokeswoman for the department said the two sides would meet next week "to agree a timeline" for the receipt of details on write-offs from the insurers.

The department received details on Hibernian's 5,429 write-offs, and is expecting to receive similar information from other insurance companies shortly.

It says it will - as it did with the Hibernian records - cross-check the insurers' write-off records against the state vehicle register, the National Vehicle Driver File (NVDF) at the department, and warn any unsuspecting owners that their vehicles have previously been classified as write-offs, and to have them checked immediately.

The department is essentially trying to update the NVDF so that it matches the records held by the insurance companies. There are more than three million vehicles on the NVDF, but insurance companies hold more comprehensive information on write-offs.

The insurers have only recently agreed to hand over their write-off records.

Previously, they said they were not obliged to make them available to the department or members of the public because it did not constitute a complete list of write-offs.

The about-turn was prompted by an investigation, led by the Road Safety Authority (RSA), last year which confirmed an earlier inquiry by private car-checking company, Cartell.ie, that written-off cars were being repaired and returned to the road again.

The absence of an obligatory notification process by which write-offs could be reported meant that the department could not update the NVDF and therefore could not ensure dangerous cars were officially classified as write-offs and put off the road.

Cross-checking Hibernian's records with its own, the department found that 261 vehicles warranted "direct communication" with their owners.

The department found that 261 vehicles had been re-registered by new owners, re-taxed or passed the NCT.

A questions-and-answers information sheet included by the department in the 261 letters sheds light on what the vehicle owners should do next.

The department warns them that it is an offence to drive a "dangerously defective" vehicle and they could face penalties if the car is found to be unroadworthy.

It says total write-off vehicles, commonly known as "ringers", will be seized if found by gardaí and "could be returned to their rightful owners, including insurance companies, where such companies have already paid compensation in respect of the vehicles".

Referring to second-hand vehicles imported from the UK that have been written off and repaired, the department says the Revenue Commissioners, which registers vehicles imported into the country, has a role in determining the road safety of these vehicles, and will "take any action required under legislation to help improve road safety".

The department tells the owners that if the vehicles were sold, they should have ensured that the relevant portions of the Vehicle Registration Certificate were completed and submitted to the department so the NVDF could be updated.

It warns owners that their vehicle can only be sold if they obtain certification to show that the car has been examined by "a qualified engineer/assessor and is deemed roadworthy". This information must be presented to support motor tax renewal or change of ownership applications so the NVDF can be kept up to date.

One question listed is: "Did my insurer know that this vehicle was a write-off when they reinsured it and did not inform me of its write-off history?"

The department says: "You should contact your insurer in this matter in the first instance." It adds that "other contacts which may be relevant in this context" are the Insurance Ombudsman of Ireland and the Financial Regulator.

Another question is: "What redress have I got against the dealer/person who sold the vehicle to me?" The department advises owners to seek advice from their local Citizens' Information Office.

A spokeswoman for the department said it received the records from Hibernian late last year and it took the department until recently to complete its cross-check of the 5,429 vehicles against more than three million vehicles on the state register.

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey has said he is prepared to introduce new legislation to compel insurance companies to pass on the records, but at this stage he is confident they will provide them voluntarily.

As shown with the 261 letters sent last week, Mr Dempsey is keen to act quickly given that some motorists could unknowingly be driving dangerous vehicles.