Calls for gardaí to seize vehicles in uninsured drivers crackdown

THE Government has been urged to introduce a fresh crackdown on uninsured drivers, including extending the powers of gardaí to seize uninsured vehicles.

The Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) yesterday called on the Government to implement a similar range of get-tough measures to those currently being considered by the British authorities.

It follows the launch of a detailed report by an independent consultant in Britain outlining 20 separate recommendations to tackle the problem of uninsured motorists.

MIBI chief executive John Casey said most of the recommendations were also applicable in Ireland where it is estimated that about 6% of all motorists are not properly insured.

“The proposals being considered by the British government to crackdown on uninsured drivers are very positive and decisive and should be replicated here,” said Mr Foley.

They include:

Improved access for police forces to insurance databases.

Increased use of automatic number plate recognition technology in patrol cars.

Better insurance products for young drivers.

The MIBI is a private company funded by motor insurers which compensates drivers involved in accidents with uninsured, foreign and hit-and-run drivers.

Mr Casey said new data highlighted how uninsured drivers were statistically far more likely to be involved in road traffic accidents.

According to research by insurers, uninsured drivers are:

Ten times more likely to have been convicted of drink driving.

Six times more likely to have been convicted of driving an unsafe vehicle.

Three times more likely to have been convicted of driving without due care and attention.

In 2003, the MIBI paid out €70 million in compensation to victims of accidents involving uninsured, hit-and-run and foreign motorists.

Accidents that involved uninsured drivers accounted for at least half of almost 4,000 cases received by the MIBI last year.

Mr Foley said the total number of cases coming before the MIBI had shown a falling trend in recent years as a result of increased road safety measures, such as the introduction of the penalty points system. However, he claimed further reductions could be achieved through additional measures.

He pointed out that British police were being given new powers not just to seize vehicles but also to destroy them in appropriate cases. The problem of uninsured drivers in Britain is believed to add about €45 to the annual car insurance premium of law-abiding motorists.