Uninsured road crashes up 10%

UNINSURED drivers are adding up to €35 to the average motor policy as the number of accidents involving drivers with no cover rose by more than 10% last year, new figures show.

There were 1,927 claims relating to uninsured vehicles last year, a rise of 187 on the 1,740 received in 2022, according to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI).

It said the 11% growth ‘reaffirms the importance of the new law enforcement system to clamp down on uninsured driving’.

So far 69 people have been killed on Irish roads this year, 18 more fatalities than the same period last year.

MIBI chief David Fitzgerald said: ‘This jump of almost 200 claims due to accidents caused by uninsured vehicles should be a cause of concern for every law abiding motorist in the country.

‘It is illegal to drive without valid motor insurance, yet as these figures show there are still a significant number of people who are willingly flouting the law.

‘Every one of the uninsured motorists behind these claims is effectively putting their hands in the pockets of law abiding motorists.

‘As they broke the law and drove without insurance cover, it becomes the responsibility of the MIBI to handle the compensation associated with these claims. We are a not-for-profit organisation so our funding comes indirectly from drivers who pay their motor insurance.’

In an effort to clamp down on rogue drivers, a data-sharing agreement was signed in November with MIBI now providing the insurance details for three million vehicles on a daily basis to An Garda Síochána.

It means officers can check the insurance status of any vehicle simply by scanning its registration plate.

Mr Fitzgerald added: ‘We hope that as this new weapon begins to bite, it won’t be long before the number of uninsured claims also begins to fall.’