Motorists driving uninsured or untraced were involved in more than 10% increase in car insurance claims last year, as revealed by data published on Monday. These claims added approximately €35 to every motor insurance premium, as indicated by research from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI).
The annual report uncovered an 11% surge in claims resulting from accidents caused by uninsured or untraced vehicles in 2023. The MIBI documented a total of 1,927 claims, an augmentation of 187 compared to the 1,740 recorded during the same timeframe in the previous year.
This climb in claims involving uninsured or untraced vehicles reiterated the crucial role of the new law enforcement system designed to tackle uninsured driving. Following a data sharing agreement signed last November, the MIBI is currently supplying daily insurance details for 3 million vehicles on Irish roads to the Garda, enabling quick and easy insurance verification via registration plate scanning.
As a non-profit entity, the MIBI was founded to provide compensation for road accident victims impacted by uninsured and unidentified vehicles. Essentially, the cost of these claims is shouldered by law-abiding motorists. MIBI data indicates that the typical motorist would have paid between €30 and €35 at their latest insurance renewal to cover the claims disbursed by the body in the previous year.
Analyzing the distribution of claims attributable to uninsured driving by county, the highest number emerged in Dublin where 822 such claims were handled. This was followed by Cork with 141, Limerick managing 112 and Kildare dealing with 102.
Claims related to uninsured drivers escalated in 14 of the Republic’s 26 counties, with the most pronounced percentage increases noted in Mayo, with an 80% rise, and Meath and Kildare experiencing a 55% and 42% jump respectively.
A decrease in the total number of claims was observed in nine counties, with the most significant percentage reductions found in Leitrim, Offaly and Sligo.
In Ireland, driving without insurance is one of the most frequently committed offences, with potentially up to 200,000 individuals being involved. This crime’s popularity is not dwindling; on the contrary, there’s an escalating trend in recent years, irrespective of the inherent societal and financial burdens borne by law-abiding motorists.
The ground reality could be far grimmer, as these statistics only reflect a comparison between car owners who pay for motor tax and those who have existing insurance policies. They overlook individuals who refrain from both car insurance and motor tax.
In 2022, it was brought to the attention of Dáil that roughly 130 uninsured drivers are nabbed every day. This equates to nearly 47,450 drivers annually. In the past few years, over 100,000 cars have been confiscated, and penalties exceeding €15 million have been imposed for uninsured driving, with an annual average of about 9,000.