The Chief Executive of the Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland, David Fitzgerald is warning uninsured drivers that there is a very high chance that they will be caught and that the penalties are very severe.
His comments come following a report from the MIBI stating there are 150,000 uninsured drivers on Irish roads.
The MIBI said there had been a “significant increase” in the estimated number of uninsured private vehicles, with the figure growing by more than 32,000 this year.
There has been an 85 per cent increase compared to this time five years ago.
In 2011, there were about 85,000 uninsured private vehicles in Ireland, which represented 4.5 per cent of the total. The total number of uninsured private vehicles dropped in 2012 and 2013, but the figure grew considerably in 2014, 2015 and throughout 2016.
Mr Fitzgerald told RTE’s Morning Ireland that the increase in insurance costs could be a factor.
“It is a reasonable assumption. The insurance industry is working hard with various government stake holders.
“This isn’t an optional purchase, this is a legal obligation, it is there to protect everybody both to protect the drivers from the costs of an accident. The cost of an insurance claim in this jurisdiction are very substantial.
“It is to protect innocent people on the road as well. Ultimately uninsured driving will be funded by the insurance industry and they will pass it on.
“What we can do is focus on the uninsured driver and minimise the cost of that - that’s the piece of the puzzle we’re focusing on.”
Penalties applying to uninsured drivers include having vehicles seized, an automatic court appearance, five penalty points and fines. Accidents involving uninsured drivers may prompt the MIBI to pursue the individuals involved for costs under their right of recovery.
Mr Fitzgerald explained how the MIBI came up with the figure of 150,000 uninsured drivers:
“We get a file from the Department of Transport of all the cars they believe to be taxed and insured and then we get a daily feed from the insurance industry of all the people who have insurance - through a complicated process, we do a matching and that identifies the number of private vehicles we believe should have insurance but do not.”
When asked why there has been a big rise in uninsured drivers, he said:
“It’s difficult to say for sure, the uninsured drivers aren’t putting up their hands and volunteering why they’re not taking cover - there’s a very high chance that they will be caught and that the penalties are very severe.”
He added that the MIBI is working on a project with the insurance industry, the gardaí and Department of Transport called NPR – “a system to electronically have this information available to the gardaí to put it in their cars and hand held devices. We’re pretty close to having that technology ready.”
Mr Fitzgerald concluded by calling on the insurance industry to support the MIBI in the NPR project.