Uninsured drivers involved in 40 incidents each week

Uninsured or untraced drivers are involved in almost 40 incidents each week with more than 10,000 claims lodged with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) since 2018.

In the five-year period up to 2022, incidents involving uninsured or untraced drivers added between €150 and €175 to all motorists’ premiums.

The number of claims relating to uninsured and untraced drivers between 2018 and 2022 handled by the bureau was put at 10,376.

Over the course of the pandemic, the number of claims it handled fell as fewer vehicles, including uninsured vehicles, were on the roads but last year, there was a significant spike with 1,739 claims lodged with the MIBI, representing a 17 per cent increase on the 2021 number.

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On a county-by-county basis over the past five years, the highest total number of claims received were in Dublin, where 4,605 claims were lodged, followed by Cork with 819 and Limerick with 617. The most claims per capita were in Dublin, Louth and Limerick.

“The reality is that the cost of these accidents is borne by law abiding motorists, who effectively have to subsidise these claims every time they renew their motor insurance,” said MIBI chief executive, David Fitzgerald. “That means over the last five years, the average motorist has provided an extra €150 to €175 to cover the cost of accidents caused by uninsured and untraced driving.”

Earlier this year, the MIBI published research showing there were almost 188,000 uninsured private vehicles on Irish roads last year and that the Republic may now have the highest level of uninsured vehicles in the EU.

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“Unfortunately, as the number of uninsured vehicles grows, the number of claims relating to accidents caused by uninsured drivers also rise. With the level of uninsured vehicles on Irish roads potentially the highest in the EU, we need to do all we can to discourage people driving illegally without insurance.”

It also predicted that the number of uninsured vehicles on Irish roads could pass 200,000 in the next 12 to 18 months if “significant action” isn’t taken, especially the urgent enactment and full implementation of legislation that will give greater powers to Gardaí to identify uninsured vehicles.

Mr Fitzgerald said the legislation was a “potential game changer in the battle against illegal uninsured driving as it will allow the Gardaí to check if the driver is insured just by scanning the licence plate number. It should then become extremely difficult for uninsured drivers to avoid detection.”