Drink drivers are hiding convictions, insurer says

THOUSANDS of drink drivers are hiding their convictions when seeking motor insurance, one of the country’s biggest firms said yesterday.

Hibernian managing director Dick O’Driscoll is concerned that many drink drivers do so to avoid a hefty loading to their insurance costs. Hibernian estimates that only around 5% of drink drivers notify insurance companies of their conviction, although the failure to declare such information is a criminal offence.

“We have around 25% of the motor insurance market. Based on the number of people convicted of drink driving in recent years, we would have expected to insure around 2,000 offenders. Instead, we are insuring just over 100 drivers who have informed us of their conviction,” said Mr O’Driscoll.

The issue was highlighted at an Oireachtas committee this week. Under procedures, insurance firms have no independent method of verifying if a driver has been committed of a motoring offence.

Mr O’Driscoll said insurers often only became aware an insured party had been prosecuted for drink driving when they were involved in a claim.

Industry sources admit that many drivers will lie about having being prosecuted for the offence as most insurance companies add a minimum 100% loading to convicted drink drivers.

A spokesperson for the Irish Insurance Federation said it was clear that there was “widespread non-compliance” on the issue.

“Anyone convicted of any type of driving offence should be aware that if they don’t declare it, their policy will be declared void in the event of a claim. Effectively such drivers are uninsured,” said the IIF spokesperson.

Over 27,500 drivers were convicted of drink driving offences between 1999 and 2003. A record number of 6,790 people, of which almost 90% were male, were successfully prosecuted for the offence in 2001.

Although the number of people convicted of drink driving offences fell by 42% in 2003, the decrease is largely explained by delays in prosecutions due to legal challenges to breathalysing equipment used by gardaí.

Mr O’Driscoll said international studies indicated that many convicted drink drivers were repeat offenders who did not appear to be deterred by penalties for making false insurance declarations.

Insurance firms have complained that criminal prosecutions are rarely taken against people who make false declarations about their personal details on insurance policies.

The IIF has called for insurance companies to be allowed to share databases used by gardaí and motor taxation authorities.